Forgotten Angel
by sakurademonalchemist
Summary: Castiel was chosen to insure the Boy-Who-Lived did his job. He never thought the killing curse would scramble his memories until he had no recollection of who he really was though. Now Cas Shields has to survive as a psychic who just happens to be a wizard while training with his 'big brother' Constantine. Can Cas remember who he once was? HP/Supernatural/Constantine cross
1. Pre Hogwarts years

**_This is a triple cross between HP/Supernatural/Constantine. It's also a Castiel-is-Harry story, if you don't like, don't read._**

* * *

><p>When the angels noticed a problem, the first thing they did was send someone down to fix it. His name was Castiel.<p>

For some reason, the birth of the Potter child wasn't going as it should have. He would be one of the many infants who died of unknown causes and there was nothing the parents could do to stop it, even if they had known there was a problem.

So Castiel descended onto the Earth, got permission from the mother to enter, and was placed inside the infant's body. The plan was that he would end the Dark Lord before he made another phylactery.

There was just one problem. The angels in charge didn't account for the effect the killing curse would have on a lowly soldier like Castiel.

The last memory Castiel would have of his true self ended the moment he felt the foul nature of the curse. A higher angel, one who had commanded others, might have been able to shrug off the human magic. But Castiel was a foot soldier, one who took orders, not give them.

The moment the curse hit, his Grace sent it flying back...but in the process his guard dropped long enough for the magic to scramble his memories.

He was as helpless as the infant he now possessed. The boy had passed long ago...the only one in the body was Castiel.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Age Five<strong>_

The horse faced woman dragged the child into the church. Surprisingly he put up less of a fight once inside than he ever had outside the place.

It was like once he was inside the hollowed ground, he became a different boy.

The woman hated the child. If she could, she would have dumped him on the Church's orphanage in a heartbeat. The worst part was the brat would scream at nothing!

"So who is this young lad?" asked the priest.

"My sister's son. We want to get him exorcised."

The priest blinked.

"You're Mrs. Dursley aren't you."

Her eyes glinted in a hard manner.

"Ma'am, as I told you over the phone, exorcisms are expensive. The materials alone..."

"I don't care about the costs. I want the brat to quit screaming for no reason in the middle of the night about monsters."

"Mrs. Dursley, many children are terrified of monsters," said the priest patiently.

"Yes, but how many of them will willingly barricade themselves inside a small cupboard to escape monsters?" she countered.

The priest bent down to his level.

"Son, what kind of monsters are you seeing?"

"People that aren't people. They walk around pretending to be normal, but their faces are all wrong..." said the child. The priest noted he didn't try to get anywhere near his aunt.

The priest had an idea of what the child was really seeing, but he wanted to confirm it before he called that man in. The last thing he wanted was to introduce _him_ to a possibly abused child.

The priest took out a book and showed the child the pictures inside.

"Which ones did you see?" he asked.

Most of the pictures were fake...but the select few that weren't would tell him all he needed to know. The child looked at each carefully...before he pointed at three. The priest noted where the pictures were and paled.

The child was psychic. Most of the demons he picked out were able to come up without any trouble...and hide with perfect ease. Most children would pick out the most terrifying or striking.

Not this one. He went straight for the demons.

The priest looked at the woman, who narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"I can help your nephew. He doesn't need an exorcism. He needs to know how to keep the things he sees away," said the priest.

The woman's eyes hardened.

"I'll dump the useless brat off here. So long as he doesn't drag anything unnatural into our home, he's your problem."

The priest nodded and mentally checked off the fact the child was abused.

A month later a man came to the church. The child's attention was fully on him the second he stepped through the door.

"So this is the kid?" asked the man.

"You were the first one I called. This kid is powerful John. He can see through more than most," said the priest.

The man bent down to the kid's level. He could see why Father Rick called. The kid had eyes that were too sharp and clear.

"Hello kid. My name's John Constantine."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Age Six<strong>_

Cas Shields was an unusual six year old. For one thing he refused to go by the name his aunt had provided. He didn't know who Harry Potter was, but the name felt wrong. So John helped him make a new one. One he would answer to when not in the public school.

Another thing Cas could do that baffled the Father Rick was he had the strange ability to see into people's souls. Some people Cas simply didn't like. He knew the truth about those people because of family and friends coming in for confession, but he didn't know how Cas knew. The fact he seemed perfectly comfortable around John Constantine, yet he couldn't get away fast enough from a known wife beater was very telling.

Today he was letting Cas join in the children's choir.

Five minutes of hearing the child sing and Rick made another mental check that there was something different about him. He had never meet a six-year-old with a voice that strong or pure.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Age Eight<strong>_

Cas was curled up in a tight ball. He was cuddling his pillow something fierce, and nothing they did would wake him up. It was somewhat amusing to see the not-so-childish boy acting like any kid his age should. Still, if John couldn't get a reaction from the kid within the next five minutes he was going to dump water on his ass.

Cas lifted his head from the pillow to glare at John Constantine. John would have grinned wider, if not for the fact that the kid's eyes had changed colors.

Cas had green eyes. This kid had blue.

"_What?"_ he said irate.

"Just wondering if you were going to grace us with your presence before or after they wiped out the bacon," said John.

Cas blinked twice before he let go of the pillow and raced to the kitchen. John noticed his eyes turned green again. Cas was not a normal kid, but the mere fact he hadn't killed his so called relatives for abuse told him plenty.

He still found it hilarious that Cas was a real carnivore.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Age Ten<strong>_

John was cursing. This was supposed to be a rescue of a friend's daughter. Astra was possessed and he thought he could remove the thing peacefully. He had rushed in without doing any research.

And now Astra was going to pay the price. If only he had the backing of a Cardinal or higher! They could vanquish this demon without anyone dying or risking their soul!

The demon inside Astra had John pinned so he couldn't exorcise it. He would have only one chance to summon a higher demon to drag this one to hell.

Without warning, the demon started screaming. John's eyes widened in shock as he recognized Cas.

He started choking once the demon was off him, trying to get air into his lungs.

"C...Cas? What are you..."

Cas was speaking a language he didn't understand, but recognized pretty fast. Where the hell did a kid learn Enochian well enough to speak it without mangling the language?!

The demon screamed and a white light came forth from Astra's body. She slumped, unconscious but her soul still very much inside her body. The demon was dead.

"Cas, what are you doing here?" repeated John. He noticed vaguely that his eyes were blue again. John barely caught Cas in his arms. The ten year old was out cold and running a fever.

When he woke up three days later, John was there.

"Cas, what were you doing in that house?"

"House? The last thing I remember was falling out of the apple tree and a sharp feeling of pain..." said Cas confused. It was similar to what Father Rick told him when he brought Cas back to the Church. Cas had been helping retrieve apples from the orchard out back when he hit his head. Without warning his eyes turned blue and he vanished. The priest had been beside himself with worry...right up until John appeared a few hours later with the boy out cold in his arms.

John sighed. Whatever inhabited the boy's body wasn't evil. He had never seen a demon that terrified before, and the way Cas seemed to sense darkness in a human was uncanny. If it weren't for the fact Cas was more human than anyone he had ever met, he would swear the kid was...

His mind stopped cold. Was Cas an angel?

* * *

><p><em><strong>Age Eleven<strong>_

Cas looked up from the dinner he was helping the nice Sister Margaret make for the orphans. There was an owl in the tree with a letter.

Once he finished cutting up the vegetables, he went out to get it. Cas had an affinity to animals. Particularly birds.

He picked up the letter and the owl hooted at him expectantly.

"Wait here," said Cas calmly.

He went into the inner sanctuary where the priest usually stayed.

"Father, an owl delivered this. It's addressed to _that_ name," said Cas.

Father Rick looked up from the finances of the orphanage. This was going to be a particularly difficult year if they couldn't find a way to cut corners without hurting the church.

He didn't miss the way Cas' eyes landed on the budget.

The Father took one look at the letter and winced. This explained quite a bit. Like why that woman was so eager to dump Cas on the Church after school. The boy spent more time here than he did at that house. He would have moved in to the church if he could, but something or some_one_ was keeping him in that home. So he made a compromise with his 'aunt'. He would have sleepovers with the other children for every week and would only spend a night or two at the house.

About the only exception to that fact was the one time a cardinal visited the orphanage and set off the boy. John had been on a case in Ireland, and had only heard about it second hand.

Cas had seen into the man's soul and had reacted violently. Father Rick never did find out what Cas did to cause that reaction in the man, but he later learned the cardinal was suspected of having...relations...with choir boys in the churches he visited.

Father Rick shuddered to think of what that man could have done to Cas, who was by far the most attractive child in the church choir.

"Cas, I want to be very clear on this. Having magic does not make you evil."

Cas blinked, before his deadpan reply had the Father cracking an amused smile.

"Of course magic isn't evil. If it were, then Constantine would be in bigger trouble than he usually gets in to."

"That's right. Magic can't be evil. But it can be _used_ for evil. I don't want to hear about you using this gift to do harm. Are we clear?" said Father Rick.

"What about defensively? To protect myself or others?"

"That is another thing entirely. So long as you always show penance for any life you take, it's acceptable," said Father Rick without hesitation. Then a sly grin crossed his face, "Besides, you're not the only one here with magic."

Cas looked at the Father with shock when he pulled out a ten-inch stick.

"Father, you have magic too?"

"I graduated from the Vatican Academy for Magic. If Hogwarts doesn't work out I could always write a letter of recommendation for you in a few years."

* * *

><p><em>In Diagon<em>

John was the one roped into taking Cas into Diagon. Mostly because he had to get some extra ingredients for his work. He usually hit the smaller areas.

Cas kept close to John, glad that the man had warned him about the famous scar which supposedly the Boy-Who-Lived had. A scar which had disappeared shortly after his second birthday.

"Next!" barked a short creature.

John waited impatiently for the goblin to finish counting jewels. He was one of the few who knew the purpose of the exercise. The goblins did it to annoy the wizards by forcing them to wait.

"Name or key?"

"We want a blood claim first. No point in coming here without making sure he has a vault waiting," said John.

A few minutes later the goblins were giving Cas an odd look.

"What?"

"Why did you come here without your key?"

"I have a key?" said Cas.

"You have an entire series of vaults. How do you not have a key?"

"I was dumped on my 'aunt' with only a letter and a blanket. I've been living at an orphanage run by a church for the past six years," deadpanned Cas.

"We didn't even know he was magical until that letter came," said John helpfully.

"Where is his magical guardian? They should have been the one to bring him here!"

"Can I register a magical guardian?" asked Cas.

"Three doors down on the left. First we need to re-register the keys. At the moment the only one available to you is the trust vault, at least until you turn fifteen. The most you can withdraw is a thousand galleons, three hundred sickles and one hundred knuts."

John choked. How rich _was_ Cas?

Once Cas had his guardian set to the Father and his secondary as John, he got more than enough to go shopping...and converted five hundred galleons to pounds. John said nothing, as he had an idea of what Cas was planning to do with that money.

* * *

><p><em>In the pet store<em>

Cas was looking around, but nothing really appealed to him. Until he found the cat section. Inside one section was a kitten with a squashed in face and surly look. The moment Cas picked it up, it started purring.

"Find anything good?" asked John. Cas held up his kitten.

"That thing looks like it had a bad encounter with a frying pan," said John.

"I like him."

"Alright, you can get the cat. I need to stop by the Owl Emporium to find something you can use to contact me since they found a way to fry phones at the school."

John spared a look at Cas.

"What are you going to name him?"

"Christo," said Cas.

John snorted. Perfect name for a cat...and it would alert Cas to demons at the same time.

Cas found a pure white owl in the Emporium, which he immediately named Angel. She seemed annoyed by John's cigarettes to the point she kept biting him on the ear when he tried to smoke, to his annoyance and Cas' amusement.

If, later that night Cas dumped more than twice the Church's income for the orphanage in a month, John said nothing. At the very least, the Father wouldn't have to worry about cutting the budget for the foreseeable future...especially since Cas informed the goblins who had really been taking care of him for the past six years.

Apparently there was a stipend set up for him, one that the Dursleys had been getting for years, but never spent a single pound on him for. It would be going to the Church and the 'stolen' funds would be taken with interest from the family as recompense...and then paid to the church orphanage per Cas' instructions. It wasn't like he had any interest in monetary gain.


	2. Hogwarts, Year One

**There is a pairing poll for Cas and Constantine! Vote now before it's closed!  
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* * *

><p><em><strong>September<strong>_

Cas, who was once again forced to go under the name Potter, patiently waited for the sorting. He had avoided most of the fame-seeking hounds thanks to the fact his scar no longer existed and the fact he had the common sense to ask the Father to cast a spell to draw attention away from him.

Five minutes of people wanting a piece of 'Harry Potter' would have him scouring the library once sorted for the notice-me-not charm. It was the first real piece of magic he would master...and would consequently allow his magical core to stabilize, as it had been fluctuating for years between atrophying and surging. Apparently whatever power he used before didn't agree with magic so readily. At least not until he forced it to.

"Potter, Harry!"

It took the hat five seconds before it yelled 'Hufflepuff' to the shock of the school, most of whom believed he would end up a Gryffindor like his parents.

Cas was more concerned with the vile presence he sensed at the staff table. It would take him a week before he pinned Quirrel, the defense teacher as the culprit.

* * *

><p><em><strong>October<strong>_

Cas was frowning. It had taken him two weeks to realize Quirrel was knowingly possessed by a demon, and another week to pin down which amulet affected him the most. (John had given Cas an entire set just in case as a joke. He knew most of the exorcisms, but this demon was an obscure one.)

Cas waited until he heard back from John, who officially disliked his owl Angel because she felt it her duty to get him to stop smoking by attacking his cigarettes or biting him on the ear. To be fair, Cas hated the smell and it was funny enough to let her continue.

Though John had found someone else who disliked Angel when he ran into Loki and she immediately stole his candy before he could eat it.

Angel flew in with a book. It took Cas an hour to find the ritual, and he grimaced at the thought he would have to cut himself just to rid the school of a demonic menace.

Cas made a point of bringing a bandage and learning a cleaning charm used by healers to avoid people finding out he was the one to get rid of the demon.

He waited until Quirrel was close before he tagged him with blood. It took him five minutes to exorcise the demon, and thankfully no one noticed him chanting under his breath in Latin. When the smoke broke the windows, he fled in an orderly panic while cleaning the blood off his hand and covering up the bandage. Like most of his wounds, it healed over a few minutes later. Thankfully no one noticed him hit the teacher with a charm meant to dispose of blood shortly before the panic set in.

As a consequence of his actions (and the fact he had been fortunate enough to see the events leading to a Gryffindor girl being bullied by her housemate) Hermione Granger was now a semi-permanent fixture at the Hufflepuff table.

Apparently the fact he could get his hands on obscure books and wasn't put off by the girl's abrasive personality qualified him as her friend.

Cas spent a full hour watching the Quidditch match before he grew bored with the sport and went into the currently abandoned library. While the thought of flying sounded great, the idea of chasing balls all around a field for no apparent purpose did not.

* * *

><p><em><strong>November<strong>_

Ron Weasley, youngest son of the Weasley family, was annoying. It was bad enough he still bad mouthed Hermione when she was just barely out of earshot, but he had been stalking Cas for the better part of two months now. He had enough.

Cas did something he normally wouldn't. Physical violence in lieu of talking. He punched Ron in the nose, breaking it with ease since he had been trained in how to throw a punch by John (in preparation for the day Cas finally became old enough to drink and would inevitably end in a bar fight...and because knowing how to throw a punch without breaking your hand should be common knowledge) and while the boy staggered back in surprise, Cas told him with irritation "Stay away from me, Weasley. I would sooner befriend Draco Malfoy before I would even consider you an option. At least his attitude is caused by ignorance and his upbringing. Yours is caused by sloth, greed and jealousy."

Cas could see Ron's soul, and there was no way in heaven or earth he would ever befriend someone as cruel or petty as him. Draco Malfoy was arrogant, but that was entirely due to his ignorance. Cas could fix that. What would be more difficult would be to turn Ron into a decent human being. The fact Cas was firmly routed in the same belief structure that caused the witch burnings would also cause friction.

It had already caused a few problems learning just how Catholic 'Harry Potter' was.

Draco had been in hearing distance when Cas said that, and the fact he considered a Malfoy a better friend than Ron had him pause. Perhaps a friendship with the Catholic wizard would be possible after all.

* * *

><p><em><strong>December<strong>_

Cas jumped on the opportunity to correct Malfoy's arrogance when he offered his hand in friendship. He asked if Draco was interested in seeing how the other half of the world lived, I/E muggles.

Draco had been instructed by his father to befriend Potter if possible. And to be honest, muggles somewhat fascinated him.

Which lead to a full three days of Hermione and Cas doubleteaming Draco to teach him what words or phrases were socially unacceptable. He had been offended for a few moments before Cas explained he didn't want Draco to act like Ron Weasley. That seemed to temper his annoyance and anger.

Draco nearly bolted when Cas' ride came to pick him up.

"You get that book I sent you?" asked John.

"The demon has been forced into the forest. The Centaurs were not pleased, but they seemed to understand I was doing it to keep the foals inside safe from possible possession," said Cas.

"Good. Wasn't expecting you to run into a soul-leech this early. Those things are a pain in the arse to kill, especially if they made more than one container."

"Why are you so upset?" Cas asked Draco.

"Do you have any idea who that is Potter? John Bloody Constantine, one of the biggest mercenaries in the Ministry!" hissed Draco.

"Oi. I do not work for those jumped up paper-pushing morons. They only call me a mercenary because I prefer to freelance and not bother with the wand like they want," said Constantine offended.

"John may seem gruff, but you'll be hard pressed to find a better man. Just try not to hex him too badly when he eventually does something to offend you. If you behave I can show you how to prank him with no chance of him being able to retaliate."

John looked at the kid with a scowl. He was like a little brother to him (a feeling Cas reciprocated fully) but there were times having a kid brother could be annoying.

Draco was taken aback by muggle inventions. Father Rick accepted him in the church with ease, once Cas explained why he was there.

The 'mystery' donation (which John explained when Rick asked) had gone a long way to keeping the orphanage running.

Still...it was one of the better Christmas days Draco had. He had been surprised when he heard 'Harry' sing in the church choir.

The only hiccup was the invisibility cloak that had been left among the presents for 'Harry Potter'.

* * *

><p><em><strong>January<strong>_

Cas was irritated beyond belief. Dumbledore kept trying to find a way to trick him into a private meeting. Unfortunately for him Petunia had waxed eloquently about how furious she was at Dumbledore for 'lying' about the 'inheritance money'. If she knew Cas had deliberately cut them off, she might not have tolerated his presence during the summer.

He could care less what Dumbledore had against the Church, but he was not letting the man have a foothold in his life outside of school matters.

John had been quite eloquent about what a hypocrite Dumbledore was, preaching for muggleborn and creature rights, but at the same time keeping the pure bloods who oppressed them in charge. He could have pushed for a better Minister, but he allowed that idiot Fudge to stay in his office.

He also wasn't a fan of Constantine. Everyone knew what John did, knew it was a necessary evil to keep monsters, but that didn't mean they would bend over backwards to help him. If Dumbledore could, he would do away with John Constantine and his ilk without hesitation.

So no, Cas was deliberately avoiding the man because he had no grounds to force him into a meeting.

He had already told Sprout if the subject matter did not pertain to school related subjects such as detentions, then he had no business with the Headmaster. The maternal witch happened to agree with him.

* * *

><p><em><strong>February<strong>_

Cas was having a panic attack, and damn Draco to hell and back, he was laughing at him!

The girls in the school were trying to get into his good graces on what many considered a romantic holiday, but Cas considered his new private hell. Apparently females went wild for the 'handsome, quiet and brooding' types, which fitted Cas perfectly.

To make matters worse, Hermione was helping Draco while quietly giggling.

He was going to get them for this. Damn them to hell for conjuring that witch-light so the girls could track them!

* * *

><p><em><strong>March<strong>_

Draco and Hermione both looked at their friend in amusement. Cas had caught a cold due to the rain, and now looked like a drowned cat.

He looked positively adorable with that head cold.

On the plus side, he had also roped in an extra friend in the for of Neville Longbottom. Apparently Ron had moved on from Hermione to the shyest Gryffindor in the school. Cas had broken his nose when he caught him at it.

As such, Neville started sitting with Cas and Hermione during mealtimes. Draco only occasionally joined in.

Cas sneezed. Christo jumped into his owner's lap and Hermione cooed at it. Apparently she liked the smash-faced menace of the Hufflepuff dorms.

Christo had already made a reputation for himself by scaring off Mrs. Norris from the kitchens.

Cas hated March.

* * *

><p><em><strong>April<strong>_

It had taken a week to get over his head cold, mostly because he wasn't stupid enough to take a 'pepper-up' when the Headmaster was just waiting to pounce.

During that time, Cas had gotten warning from the centaurs that the demon had possessed someone new and was attacking the unicorns. The idea of a demon harming something that pure made him sick.

So he crept outside after hours (Christo keeping Filch and Norris away) and went to the forest. He had to exorcise the damn thing again. This was becoming a serious nuisance.

The demon took one look at Cas and sneered.

"Potter. I don't know how you killed my last host, but I'll make sure you..." started the spectre. Cas sent up sparks for the centaurs to see.

It wasn't long before the man was peppered with as many holy water coated arrows as they could make. And Cas had been happy to supply the sanctified water.

He didn't know what this spirit was, only that it needed to be killed. And it screamed like the damned when the arrows hit him.

Bane nodded in Cas' direction.

"We thank you, bright one, for allowing us to purge this demon from our forest."

"It was my pleasure. The very fact it exists offends me, wise ones," replied Cas.

He found that the best way to deal with the rather angry centaur herd was to treat them as wiser and more experienced than he was. Though he was confused why they insisted on calling him Bright One.

* * *

><p><em><strong>May<strong>_

Cas was very, very glad the finals were over. Hermione was a slave driver with salt and a whip in hand. His cat Christo was just as glad, as the only thing that seemed to get Hermione off her 'study' drive was putting Christo in her arms.

Needless to say his pet cat was thoroughly spoiled more that single month alone than he ever had with Cas. And the next time he went to Diagon, he was getting Hermione a Kneazle of her own so she wouldn't turn his half-breed one fat from all the food she was feeding him. Draco was just glad Cas found a way to distract the rabid bookworm before they all hexed her. He still didn't understand how Cas could tolerate being around her in full slave driver mode without snapping at least once.

When asked after the tests were over, his only cryptic reply was "Patience is a virtue I've had a lot of practice with."

Draco merely gave him a look.

"Constantine?"

"Constantine and my so called family," Cas deadpanned.

Draco nodded in agreement. John Constantine was a man that many had to take time to get used to. Five minutes with him and Draco had been fully prepared to break the 'no magic over the holidays' rule just to shut up his smart mouth. The mere fact John not only liked Potter but the fact Potter had yet to shoot him in the ass with the guns he demonstrated for the pure blood was a miracle.

Harry Potter had the patience of a saint, in Draco's mind. He did not want to be there when that patience snapped.

"So what exactly are your plans for the summer Harry?" asked Hermione.

"Same as every year. Stay with my friends while my 'family' goes overseas. They've never bothered to pay for me to join them, and frankly I would rather be at the Church anyway."

"I still can't believe you're Catholic," muttered Draco.

"It was either go to a church and learn how to survive my gift, or my aunt exorcise me. She wasn't exactly pleased I kept screaming every time I saw a demon's real face under the mask they hide behind on the street. It was just luck the Father knew about demons being real and called Constantine to help."

"Gift? What gift?" asked Draco. What could Constantine possibly help with?

"I'm a psychic. It means I can see things as they really are, not what people think them to be. It was a nightmare until I went to the Church and found out I wasn't going crazy seeing monsters everywhere. My aunt couldn't leave me in the place fast enough," said Cas shrugging.

"What number am I thinking of?" asked Draco sarcastically.

Cas slapped him on the head. Draco scowled at him.

"I said I was a psychic, not a telepath you dunderhead," said Cas annoyed.

There was a loud crash and they all turned to see some wizard they didn't recognize trying to run away from the school. Several teachers were chasing him grim faced, among them the replacement Dumbledore had to hire and fast when Quirrel was turned to dust early in the year. He was an auror who recently retired and didn't want to be dragged into teaching rookies who thought they knew everything.

"What is that about?" asked Neville.

"I have a better question. Why should we care? Clearly it is a matter best left to the adults. We are children and as such I think it's time we took advantage of it. Look what I got from Father Rick," said Cas.

It was a board game called Monopoly. Thanks to Cas' donation, he was actually able to afford proper gifts for the children.

"Dibs on the hat," said Hermione immediately.

"I call dog," said Cas before saying "Not it."

"Not it," said Draco, though he was wondering what he was getting out of.

"Not it," said Neville.

"I hate playing the banker," said Hermione scowling.

"But you're better than any of us with numbers," countered Cas with a smirk.

That seemed to pacify Hermione. It wasn't until later that they found out what the man had been after.

* * *

><p>Cas took one step onto Privet Drive and sighed. He was glad Constantine had taken his things to the Church. Knowing Vernon he would try to keep Angel caged all summer just out of paranoia alone.<p>

"I'm home...I guess..." said Cas tiredly. Might as well get this over with. He could go to his real home inside the church in a few days.


	3. Hogwarts, Year Two

_**August**_

Cas toiled under the sun, weeding the small garden of the church without complaint. He liked gardening. It was...relaxing, almost like cooking. Even if it was supposedly a hundred degrees outside today. Cas never felt the cold or heat.

He was about to plant yet another vegetable seed when he sensed someone watching him. Peering across the garden, he finally settled on a pair of wide eyes that wouldn't look amiss on a pair of funny glasses that had springs on them. He never did get the point of those things.

In the bushes a bat-earred creature shivered. It was bad enough he had to cross into hallowed ground to find the Great-Harry-Potter-Sir, but no one had warned the elves that the Great Harry Potter was a Bright One!

"Come on out little one. I will not harm you," said Harry Potter.

Dobby slowly made his way out of the bushes, feeling twinges of pain from being on hallowed ground. The sooner he warned Harry Potter sir, the sooner he could leave this place.

"You're a house elf aren't you? I've seen your kind in the kitchens."

"Yes Harry Potter Sir! I came to warn you...there is great danger at Hogwarts!" said Dobby in a rush.

Harry's face went blank.

"This danger wouldn't happen to involve another soul-leech would it?" he asked carefully.

Dobby desperately wanted to nod his head, but he couldn't say so directly.

"I see. I had hoped I would have a peaceful year. Exorcising that last one was annoying enough," sighed Harry.

"Harry Potter sir knows about the leeches?"

"The last DADA professor was possessed by one. I exorcised him before he did any real damage. I'm guessing your master doesn't know you came to warn someone?"

Dobby nodded.

"Is this a direct possession or indirect?"

"Indirect..." said Dobby so quietly you would have had to strain to hear it.

"I appreciate the warning Dobby, however I cannot allow another one of those wretched things possess an innocent. If need be I can always call John in for help. He is more knowledgeable than I am in monsters such as this," said Harry calmly.

"Cas?" called a gruff voice from outside the church.

Dobby had planned to force Harry Potter sir to stay away. He hadn't counted on Harry Potter sir being a Bright One hidden away. If Harry Potter sir was a Bright One, then it would be the Evil One who should be afraid.

At the very least Dobby had passed the warning.

John took one look at Cas' face and asked "What's wrong?"

"Another soul leech will be at the school. A house elf warned me. I'm more interested in why every creature with more sense than a wizard calls me Bright One," said Cas annoyed.

John stifled a chuckle. After a while even he figured out what Cas actually was, the weird thing about the whole situation was that Cas didn't know himself.

From what he heard about Cas' origins, it was likely the mortal magic scrambled his memories.

He was still trying to convince that shifty-eyed Loki to look into the matter. That jerk was a pain in the ass to track down when he didn't _want_ to be found.

"Anyway I came here to take you shopping. Those 'relatives' of yours still in Majorca?"

Cas nodded. It had never bothered him because he knew the temptation they would leave him abandoned in a country where English wasn't the main language would be strong. Better to stay in England than deal with that mess.

It took them less time to do the shopping, though John immediately vetoed the current 'Defense' books as he knew for a fact they were a load of trash. He directed Cas to the more useful books, before they raided a little known bookstore in Knockturn for the more obscure tomes. Cas made a point of buying two copies if they had doubles. One for his own collection, the other for Hermione who would no doubt appreciate the gift.

Unlike last year, this time Cas didn't bother to discreetly donate the money to the Church. He handed it directly to Father Rick. The man said nothing, but his smile spoke volumes.

St. Christopher's Orphanage was a small one, and if not for Cas might have had to close down in a few years because they were starting to lose funding. With the additional funds of the reclaimed 'stipend' and the donations Cas made directly, they would be able to survive for years.

When asked by Sister Margaret why Cas donated so much, his answer had her questioning why she needed to ask at all.

St. Christopher's was Cas' real home. The only place he felt safe during the holidays. So if he had the ability or power, he would do what he could to keep the Church running for a long time.

* * *

><p><em><strong>September<strong>_

Cas had to rush to the platform. He had overslept, though to be fair it was nearly impossible to wake him when he went into his 'cocoon' as John flippantly called it. He just felt so safe curling up like that, that he could sleep through practically anything.

Going through the barrier, he managed to find Hermione, Draco and Neville waiting for him amused.

"Oversleep did we?" said Draco.

"Sorry. It took Sister Margaret an hour to wake me up. If John hadn't shown up to dump ice water on me I doubt I would have gotten up in time," said Cas embarrassed.

"How could you nearly oversleep? You're usually the first one up!" said Hermione.

Cas was always the first one at the breakfast tables in the morning. Always. Strangely he wasn't that much of a morning person, but a zombie thing that clutched to coffee like a life-line. It was actually hilarious to watch.

"I have trouble waking from my cocoon..." mumbled Cas.

"Cocoon?" said Hermione.

Cas brought out the pillow he had accidentally dragged with him. He felt a little guilty, but it was _his_ pillow on his own bed. He promptly settled onto the bench, arranged his back just right and then propped his head on his pillow. Something settled around him and he fell asleep.

Draco poked him.

"Bloody hell. No wonder he called it a cocoon. Wake up Potter!" said Draco, poking him more.

The snoring boy opened a single eye and the vicious glare Draco saw from that single orb had him leaving Harry alone to his nap. Draco wondered if Harry was a metamorphamagus, if he could change his eyes like that.

That intense blue glare was damn scary.

_In Hogwarts_

Cas stared at the new DADA teacher with absolute horror. The man was clearly a 'media whore' as the Father would call them...out of hearing of the impressionable children anyway. Cas knew more than one unsavory word thanks to John whenever he dropped a 'bad news bomb' on the man.

At least he didn't use the Lord's name in vain like Constantine had the annoying habit of doing. A lot. Cas just hexed him to be done with it.

Constantine had developed a sincere hatred for the stinging hex, which Cas had learned to do wandlessly. Constantine's demonic friend Chas, however, thought it hilarious. Cas still hadn't figured out which demon he was.

One lesson with him and Cas did the only sensible thing.

He dragged his _sane_ friends and housemates into the library instead of the classroom when it came time for DADA. Once was enough, and he was not sticking around a man with a soul that disgusting.

Hermione, sadly, was not among that crowd. Apparently her inner fangirl decided _now_ was the perfect time to rear it's ugly head.

She was decidedly irritated when Cas openly made a prayer to God that she find her sanity and common sense again before she was blindsided by Lockhart's "good looks". Draco and Neville wisely avoided laughing until she was out of earshot.

* * *

><p><em><strong>October<strong>_

Cas dragged his friends to the Death Day party, mostly because he felt sympathy for Nicholas' problem and the ghost had been nothing but kind to him.

Besides, it would be interesting to see if the ghosts would finally elaborate on why creatures _insisted_ on calling him Bright One.

Cas had the distinct pleasure of scaring the crap out of those pompous dullahan for Nick (who was very pleased that a 'Bright One' had stood up for him, a mere ghost) and thought his night would end peacefully.

That had been wrecked the second they found Mrs. Norris strung up. Out of the four, Cas had been the most devastated of the group. It was probably the only reason why Filch didn't immediately throw about accusations that Potter had done this to his cat.

He was the only one who seem genuinely horrified that someone had hurt the man's precious companion...or shut Lockhart up before he could upset Filch even more than he had by boasting about his so-called 'exploits' by kicking him sharply in the shin so hard that the man had to hop around before the pain stopped.

Cas caught a flicker of respect from Snape for that one.

Filch was very surprised when, shortly after hearing Cas planned to cheer the man up until his familiar could be revived, the entire Hufflepuff house decided to follow his lead and became just a little nicer to him.

It had nothing to do with Cas' rather angry speech about how callous they were acting when it could have happened to _their_ familiars instead of Mrs. Norris. Yes, she was disliked but that was no reason to harm a familiar following the lead of her master. Nope, nothing at all.

* * *

><p><em><strong>November<strong>_

Cas was _very_ patient. But as Draco rightly feared, even though he had never encountered Cas snapping before, there was a limit to what he would put up with. Hearing Lockhart boast about how he would find the 'Monster' and kill it, then write about it in a new book was apparently reaching that limit.

Draco had taken to carrying a camera with him so he could catch on film Cas snapping.

Cas finally did during a dueling club. Lockhart, the idiot, came a little too close to Cas and his soul was so repugnant to him that he just snapped.

One minute Lockhart was telling him some nonsense about how to hold a wand, the next he was laid out flat, holding his broken nose from a right uppercut he couldn't have dodged if he tried.

The entire club was silent.

Cas looked at the shocked Lockhart with open disgust. Then he did something that had Draco nearly crack up. He started channeling his 'big brother' John Constantine and lit into the man using several creative uses of swear words that had the Weasley twins looking for a quill and parchment to record, because this was gold.

They could never use _half_ of what Cas said to Lockhart without their mother dragging them by the ears shrieking, but it was still worth it!

Snape was privately memorizing a few of the swears himself. And wondering where a Catholic wizard learned such language he had only ever heard in a bar room after one too many drinks.

Once he got that out of his system he looked vaguely sheepish.

"I apologize for offending any of you with that. But I cannot _stand_ him at all. His soul is beyond _foul _and is rife with lies and betrayal," he said embarrassed.

Draco rolled his eyes.

"I take it that's another perk of being born psychic?" he asked.

Castiel nodded.

To be fair, he hated people like Lockhart. People who lied and stole the hard work of others.

Aside from the minor hiccup when Draco accidentally summoned a python and Cas picked it up, the club ended on a somewhat high note.

Draco later asked Cas what he did with the snake, only to be surprised with the knowledge that Cas knew a boy in the Church who wanted to become someone who cared for reptiles when he grew older and happened to like snakes. The snake didn't mind and certainly preferred curling around Cas to sleeping in the cold.

* * *

><p><em><strong>December<strong>_

Eric loved his new python and kept him in the terrarium Father Rick acquired when Cas informed him of the snake and his plans for it. He had been confused at first why the Father had given him the box...right up until Cas brought out the snake. Then he squealed and hugged Cas tightly.

Too bad Draco couldn't join Cas for Christmas again, though he was mildly surprised when Hermione showed up for the yearly Christmas carols. Apparently she _had_ been listening when he mentioned which Church he attended...she lived six blocks over.

Her annoyance at Cas' refusal to attend Lockhart's classes went away for the holiday when he gave her the obscure and obvious old tomes. When he pointed out the inconsistencies John informed him about Lockhart's travel logs (he refused to call them textbooks, considering they didn't have any actual_ spells_ to learn from them) Hermione slowly lost her fan girl edge.

By New Years, she would have lost it entirely upon learning he was a blatant plagiarist. Something she _hated_.

* * *

><p><em><strong>January<strong>_

Cas was annoyed. Dumbledore once again tried to corner him into a private meeting about his living arrangements. But since his 'address' technically _was_ the Dursley house there was nothing he could do to stop Cas from walking to the Church every day or spending more time there than at home. For one thing, Father Rick knew of Petunia's feelings about magicals and if Cas stopped coming for any period of time he would know something was wrong and come investigate.

Either that or call John to do it.

So Cas gave him short answers and came up with half-lies to excuse himself from the man's presence.

Strangely, Snape always seemed to be nearby to help with that, a fact Cas was openly grateful for.

Snape held him back one day and questioned why Cas never commented on how Snape was helping him.

"Sir, the fact you've noticed the Headmaster's disturbing trend to try and get me in an office alone with him is something I'm not going to question. I have read his biography and know he bats for the 'same team' and frankly see no need to tempt fate. Besides, I have a feeling he will demand I stop living in the church which by law he has no authority to demand since my listed residence is with my aunt."

Snape snorted. That was one way to get around the Headmaster. If his listed residence was his aunt's home, legally there was nothing Dumbledore could do about it. At least not without raising so many red flags people would question why the boy had been dumped there to begin with.

* * *

><p><em><strong>February<strong>_

Never before had Cas thought to break into the shed housing the brooms, but one look inside the Great Hall that morning had him bolting for it.

Dwarves couldn't exactly _fly_ straight on the brooms, and it was doubtful that the prejudicial wizards would let them. Besides, last he checked dwarves were earth-dwellers. They wouldn't go near the clouds if they had any other choice, and he doubted Lockhart would pay them enough to do so.

Surprisingly the teachers (other than Lockhart) didn't make a single complaint about him flying the entire day.

Primarily because the sheer amount of 'love notes' sent to Cas kept the surly dwarves occupied the entire day to the disappointment of Lockhart...and the relief of the dwarves because Cas sent Angel to Hagrid with the suggestion he at least get them a few barrels of strong alcohol while they waited.

The dwarves gave him an odd look, but it was clear they respected him a _hell_ of a lot more than Lockhart because he at least knew more about their ways than that brainless moron did.

He still didn't get what the whole "Bright One" business was, but at least the Dwarves had another term for him.

Being called an uppity feather duster was a new one though. He could tell they wanted to call him something much stronger, but the fact he had respected them enough to pay for the best booze to be found anywhere near the school while they were stuck doing something so degrading had apparently earned him their favor.

Well that and Hagrid knew certain songs that even they hadn't heard before and it amused them.

Cas still pranked the living shit out of Lockhart for this though. And as a side effect got the attention of the Weasley twins, who eventually got over having to deal with a Malfoy.

* * *

><p><em><strong>March<strong>_

The twins were giggling like idiots at the sight of a stuffy-nosed Cas. Hermione cooed at the sight of it, and he glared at her.

He hated March with a fierce and fiery passion only his dislike Lockhart seemed to match. The man had become insufferable since the attacks continued, and Cas still had no idea what was causing it.

All he knew was that it involved a snake of some kind, because they were the only animals he knew that stretched the 'S' sound out when talking. Something he found irritating.

On the plus side, he did find the stupid container for the soul leech. Down side, Angel refused to even go near the damn thing.

Looks like he would have to do this the hard way. He hated soul leeches.

* * *

><p><em><strong>April<strong>_

Cas was in the forest again, this time following the conjured spiders to locate the secondary (or what he suspected to be the primary) entrance to the Chamber.

Like many creatures, the Acromantula population feared him for some reason. Aragog told him what he wanted to know (that the diary had lied about Hagrid being the culprit, something he already knew but nice to confirm) and the Centaurs pointed him in the right direction of where to locate the second entrance.

Once again he marveled at the idiocy of wizards. Cas had interviewed only the creatures he knew would speak to him. Merfolk, Centaurs, Acromantula (though that was a gamble) and the ghosts. Almost all of them had been very helpful identifying the monster, but the spiders had only cemented his theory on what was going on.

Some idiot wizard had left a _basilisk_ of all things in the damn school. Now normally that wouldn't be a problem, had someone known about the poor snake and at least fed it and visited it once a blue moon. But that thing had been isolated for over a thousand years now and that could be a problem.

Cas blinked. He had been so focused on finding the entrance that it was a few seconds before he realized he found it.

Problem one: complete

Problem two: debatable

Cas sighed and went down into the cavern. Since today was a weekend and he had distracted Hermione with a rare tome, no one was likely to look for him for a few hours. And after the near burglary of the Hufflepuff dorms, the students were extra vigilant in guarding their house.

Cas had an idea of what they were after. That damn soul-leech infested book. Which was why he had hidden it with the house elves in the kitchens. They wouldn't let anyone _but_ Cas retrieve it...they disliked it's existence almost as much as he did.

Entering the Chamber, Cas felt a strange brushing sensation go down his back.

Almost like it was testing him for something and waiting to reserve judgment.

It wasn't until he realized a problem that he figured out what.

The monster would have attacked sooner than now if it's controller were around.

And if the controller had to be of the bloodline, Cas would be in trouble if the thing woke up...without a master to keep it from going on a rampage.

Cas had done his research before coming here. If only the bloodline could control the snake, then he would need to do something drastic. Supposedly Voldemort was Tom Riddle, who was the one who 'found' the 'culprit' last time.

From what he saw in the diary, Tom was more likely the one who set the snake loose. Meaning he was one of Slytherin's bloodline.

Cas smirked. There were other ways to acquire a bloodline...Draco and Neville had explained it to a very fascinated Hermione and Cas earlier that year when they wanted to know what a metamorph was.

Cas cleared his throat and sensed the barriers of the place take notice.

"I claim Right of Conquest!"

The wards around the Chamber thrummed as the magic verified whether he had the right to claim it. They settled around him and accepted it once his magic proved he had beaten and 'killed' the last Slytherin heir. Meaning he could claim right of conquest to prevent the line from ending.

And like that, the Chamber opened up to the new 'Master'.

A few hours later Cas came back down and stabbed two soul leeches with the basilisk's fangs. As it's new master, the gaze of the serpent no longer harmed him. Finally! The first sign of common bloody sense Cas had seen in a wizard since coming to Hogwarts!

It was just a good thing the elves mentioned another soul leech they sensed, once they knew what it was.

Cas debated on whether to donate the diadem to Ravenclaw or not. He decided to wait before doing anything.

* * *

><p><em><strong>May<strong>_

"Hermione, we love you as a friend and all...but seriously enough is enough," said Cas tiredly.

Cas had stood up and finally stopped Hermione's damn study sessions. The other two boys sighed with relief.

Hermione glared at him.

"I think it's time I introduced someone else into the group. I'm sure you're tired of being the only female among a group of boys and it will shut up those blasted rumors about you," said Cas.

"What rumors?!" she hissed.

Draco and Neville winced.

"You really, really don't want to know," they said in unison.

Cas came back with a blond haired girl with distant eyes.

"Luna?" said Neville in surprise.

"She's a psychic like me, and I think she has Fae-blood in her. I've seen the elves give her more respect than most...barring me for some reason. One day, one day I'll find out what the hell that 'Bright One' nonsense is..." muttered Cas.

"She has wrackspurts around her head," said Luna with a chirp.

Hermione sputtered.

"Those are the creatures that make you overly obsessed with something rather trivial aren't they?" said Cas.

Luna nodded.

"Not all Fae can be seen, let alone felt. And they find it amusing to trick us. She has the highest number of them I've ever seen," said Luna seriously.

Cas waved his hand around Hermione's head. He felt something hit.

"In any case Luna's joining us from now on. It's about time we had a Ravenclaw in the group and this way we have all the houses covered."

"What about Ginny?" asked Luna.

"Absolutely not. I refuse to have a _fan girl_ in our study group. Hermione was irritating enough until we got that obsession over Lockhart..." started Cas, before he ducked. Hermione had just tried to punch him.

"So...is anyone allowed to visit this church of yours or just the people who attend it?" he asked.

"The church is open to anyone. From someone seeking a place to rest to those seeking sanctuary. I just prefer living there. And it's not one of those places where they shove religion down your throat," said Cas.

"I've been talking to Gran and she was interested in seeing what it was like."

"Just be sure to visit on a Sunday during the holidays. You might get to hear Harry sing in the choir," said Hermione. Draco nodded in agreement.

"Or we could visit the Chamber of Secrets and you could hear it with a better acoustic. Imagine my surprise when I found out the place had the same echo as a cathedral I once visited in Rome," said Cas.

"You've been to Rome?" said Hermione.

"I've impressed a few cardinals when they found out I could read and speak Latin without mangling it. This was before Hogwarts though, and I haven't renewed my passport for a while."

"So which courses do you want to take?" asked Draco, changing the subject.

"All of them," came Hermione's immediate response.

"Hermione, the teacher in that class is a pure blood. You and Harry taught me more about muggles than he would possibly know. And from what I hear the Divination teacher is a drunk who enjoys predicting her students death. Rumor has it she predicts one of them will die at least once a year as a greeting," said Draco exasperated.

"Besides, all these course do is open up apprenticeships once you graduate. It's not uncommon for a witch or wizard to go into a trade school immediately after graduating to insure they get a better job," added Neville.

"Hogwarts is a secondary school. Do you really want to jeopardize your future career by choosing such weak and useless subjects?" added Cas.

Hermione blinked.

"I hate it when you use logic against me," she grumbled.

"Besides, if you're that desperate to learn Divination, I could ask John to teach you scrying. Much more accurate and less open to interpretations," said Cas.

Just before the school year ended, Cas made a deal with Draco's father who came to 'congratulate' Dumbledore for stopping the attacks.

Cas disliked him on sight, but kept his mouth shut to keep Draco from being in trouble. However he did get one thing out of the deal... the house elf who warned him was transferred to him in exchange for a few galleons.

Dobby was relieved to be away from Lucius Malfoy...but slightly worried because house elves couldn't handle hallowed ground.

Instead Cas had him work for Constantine keeping whichever bunker the man was using clean and filled with food. They weren't warded and John knew about house elves. Dobby agreed to the compromise without hesitation...and managed to bring the other house elves of the Potter family in on the deal. They would keep the bunkers clean and supplied since they couldn't reach their master on hallowed ground without feeling the effects.


	4. Hogwarts, Year Three

_**July**_

Cas stared at the large black dog trying and failing miserably to hide from sight. The dog eventually stared back.

"Stay here," he told it.

"Cas?"

"I think there's an animagus in the garden. They seem relatively harmless since some of the younger children have been playing with them, but I would rather have someone who knows more about magical law deal with it and find out what's going on," he said simply.

When faced with a problem, Cas went to an adult he trusted first rather than charge in. Unless he needed to be directly involved, Cas saw no reason to jump into an adventure that could potentially kill him.

Father Rick walked outside, saw the dog and immediately knew Cas had been telling the truth. Not that he doubted him, the child _hated_ liars.

He dragged the dog in, and a few hours later the dog was now a permanent addition to the church...as the pet.

As a condition of proving the man wanted to prove his innocence, he had to stay inside church grounds under the 'Sanctuary' law.

One of the concessions to stop the witch burnings was that if a wizard were to declare sanctuary in any church or holy area protected by a magical representative of that religion, then the Ministry must _honor_ the Church's decision. Meaning unless that until they broke a church law, they were out of the jurisdiction of the Ministry.

Trying to force the magical out of the specified area would result in at best a very steep fine only an old pure blood family could pay, and all out war at the worst.

The fact Cas just _happened_ to be a member of the congregation meant they couldn't do a thing about it. He lived nearby and as Dumbledore discovered, the Father had the full backing of the Vatican to allow Cas to keep coming every day whether or not he liked it.

Cas' name was already down for their summer programs next year. He could complete the Hogwarts finals, but they would be sending someone on the last Hogsmeade visit of the year to take him to Rome for the summer so he could get a head start on his application to the Academy.

Something that would come in very handy next year.

* * *

><p><em><strong>August<strong>_

Cas grimaced at the sight of his 'Aunt Marge'. The woman was as bad as her brother and an animal abuser of the worst sort. She forcefully breed dogs with violent tendencies and sold them. But the worst part, the absolutely _worst_ part was her personal pet dog Ripper. Had it not been for the fact Father Rick knew about the abuse (despite the fact he couldn't directly remove the boy) he would have been stuck in that tree when he was six for the entire night. As it was, they bandaged his ankle and warmed him up for the four hours he spent stuck in that poorly maintained apple tree.

At least she didn't disparage about the fact he went to Church every day. It was one of the few things she _approved_ about him. Apparently the fact the 'delinquent' brat was a good god-fearing English boy was something she liked. Even if Dudley only went on Sundays to maintain appearances, and to a different church five miles away.

Today though he needed Petunia to sign the silly sheet so he could leave.

"Aunt Petunia (he grimaced slightly at being _forced_ to call her that when her soul was disgusting) I need you to sign something," said Cas.

Petunia took one look at the slip, then at Cas.

"I sign this, you vacate the house until Marge leaves. Agreed?" she said.

"Deal. I didn't want to deal with that dog of hers anyway," said Cas relieved.

Petunia and Cas had come to an agreement years ago. In exchange for avoiding the house as much as possible without having people ask questions, she would tolerate his existence in the family. It kept Dumbledore from removing Cas from the area and still kept the wards around it as strong, while at the same time allowing him to go to the once place he actually considered home.

Petunia signed it and Cas left. He had a 'room' in the house, but he rarely slept in it.

Cas went straight to his real home and forgot all about Marge and that evil dog of hers.

He was still getting used to Sirius Black being at the church and his ability to turn into a dog.

* * *

><p><em><strong>September<strong>_

John came by the church as was the usual routine...only this time he wasn't as alone. He brought a certain pagan god who was curious about the kid 'Johnny-boy' had become so attached to at an orphanage without adopting him.

Cas took one look at Loki's soul and to the shock of many hugged him without hesitation. Loki seemed to wince about something.

"Yeah, I see why you wanted me to look at him. I can see why he caught your attention," said Loki.

"So I was right?"

"About what he is? I'm pretty sure he might be a fledgling."

Cas felt a sharp pain in the back of his head. Something about that word seemed wrong.

Constantine made a face.

"Dammit. I was hoping Cas wouldn't be a damn half-breed," said John grimacing. Cas wasn't offended, he had run into a few while with John and most of them were arrogant assholes.

"The only thing I can't figure out is why he seems to already know how to draw on Grace. Last time I checked, they didn't learn that until _after_ they ascend..." said Loki, muttering to himself.

"Gentlemen, perhaps this can be talked about after dinner? Preferably once the shopping is done?" said Father Rick pointedly.

"Right. Lo', you're welcome to stick around here for a bit," said John.

"Nah. Might as well see if I can't pick up a few new followers."

"I could help with that. There's a pair of twins at school who are notorious pranksters...though they need help learning when their pranks start to become borderline bullying," said Cas.

McGonagall would never forgive Cas for introducing Loki to the Weasley Twins. It was bad enough the Marauders tried (and thankfully for her sanity failed) to summon him fifth year!

_Same day, dinner time_

Cas was with Loki, John and Father Rick...plus Padfoot, as he insisted they call him to avoid the Ministry picking up where he was.

Loki put a single hand on Cas' head. He didn't squirm, though many in his situation would have. Cas felt something warm brush up against his secondary energy, which he only ever felt the occasional jolt of. Loki looked more confused than ever.

"This kid has a fully-matured Grace. I've never heard a fledgeling with one before ascension!"

Clearly Loki was more baffled as to what the hell was going on to the point he was letting things he shouldn't slip.

"So any chance you could keep an eye on Cas for us?" asked John.

"Considering everyone seems to think Sirius Black is out to kill him?" said Father Rick.

Black had readily agreed to the stipulation that he couldn't be alone with Cas at any time. Considering how much damage the dementors had done to his mind, he wasn't the most sane person around. Once his innocence was proven John was going to have Sirius under go a full psyche evaluation with an ex-hunter psychiatrist he once went to for a few months after a case that went horribly wrong. Sirius would be charmed to avoid breaking the statute, but it would give him a chance to work out his issues properly, considering the stigma being insane had in the magical society.

"If anyone asks I'll tell them you came to visit your new followers," yawned Cas, "Coincidentally everyone there calls me Harry. It'll be easier for me to leave and not have to deal with them directly if they don't know the name my passports under."

Father Rick had gotten Cas a passport under his name in the Church. Normally that would be an issue, since they didn't have a birth certificate, but Petunia had come with them and explained how the original was lost and she had no idea where her sister had delivered the boy. So they tweaked a few things on the thing to allow Cas to leave the country without it.

Hence why Dumbledore didn't know Harry left. He was only keeping an eye out for Potter leaving the country, not Cas Shields.

* * *

><p><em><strong>September<strong>_

Sirius followed them to the platform with John's help. He could live with the collar and leash, but he needed to get out for a while.

Because John was acting as an extension of the Church, even if the Ministry found out Sirius was there, they couldn't touch him.

Cas got into the first compartment he found and said goodbye to John and Sirius.

He waited patiently for Draco and the others. The first thing he said when he saw their concerned looks was "Who died?"

"You didn't hear?" said Draco

"Hear what?" asked Cas.

"About Black!"

"Oh. You mean Sirius. I know the Ministry bungled his case by not giving him a trial or doing a proper investigation, but what of it?"

Everyone stared at him.

"What? He's claimed 'Ius of Oraculum' at the church," said Cas defensively.

"Which means?" asked Hermione.

"Right of Sanctuary."

"Sirius Black...is living at your church?" said Draco twitching.

"Long story short, I caught him inside the garden staring at me and Father Rick verified he's never been given an actual trial. So technically he's not a fugitive. Besides, do you really think he could have come anywhere near me when John's been sticking around ever since he showed up?"

"Point. If anyone could beat Black it would be Constantine," said Draco. Everyone who knew of Constantine knew of his companion, the half-demon Chas.

"What's the Right of Sanctuary?" asked Hermione.

"One of the clauses in the truce agreement made with the Church. A wizard may claim sanctuary in any area controlled by the Vatican or other religious group of similar power. However there are a few clauses to the sanctuary. They can't have broken any of the religion's laws and they can't leave the grounds without a member of the religion to enforce it. Basically unless Black leaves the Church or breaks their rules, the Ministry can't touch him without some serious penalties," said Draco automatically.

"Father Rick had me look at his soul, and I didn't see any sign he was a cold-blooded murderer like the Ministry claims. There's something we're not being told," said Cas.

"You can see people's souls?" said Neville wide-eyed.

"I'm a rare psychic, according to John. Oh, I almost forgot. Avoid the twins if at all possible until they graduate. I may have done something the teachers will hate me for," said Cas sheepishly.

"What did you do?" said Hermione suspiciously.

"ImayhaveintroducedthemtoLoki," said Cas in a rush.

"You didn't," said Draco horrified. The twins were bad enough!

"Constantine brought him over to check something, and he tagged along in Diagon. They just happened to be in the area when we went shopping," said Cas.

"McGonagall and Snape are going to kill you in your sleep for that," said Draco in awe.

"Wait, he didn't actually..." said Neville.

"He introduced the Weasley twins to _Loki_."

"You might be able to avoid his pranks if you tell him you're a friend of mine. He seems to like me," said Cas.

"I want guarantees that he won't come after me. I know those twins! They hate Malfoys!" said Draco.

Cas sighed.

He rummaged through his bag until he found a piece of crystal and a scrap piece of metal. With a few words he turned it into a badge of sorts and etched a rune into it.

"Here. Keep this on you at all times and tell him you're one of my friends. That should deflect the worst of it."

Draco didn't recognize the rune, but he trusted Cas. He never lied unless he had to.

"What rune is that? I don't recognize it from the book," said Hermione.

"Enochian. And I found it in the library inside the Vatican Academy. They showed me where to get a copy. You won't find any books on it at Hogwarts."

"What's Enochian?" asked Neville.

"Supposedly it's the language of the angels," said Cas distractedly. He was reading a book that was entirely in Latin.

"Figures the Church would have a book for speaking to angels," snorted Draco.

The door opened, revealing Luna looking somewhat upset. Cas closed his book.

"Did someone pick on you again Luna?" asked Cas. She nodded, her eyes more glazed than normal. He firmly had her sit next to him and handed her another book. A few minutes later she came out of her shell and was talking amicably with Hermione.

Apparently learning that some of the creatures Luna spoke of could only be seen with the ability to actually see them kept Hermione from ignoring her. Cas couldn't see them, but he could still feel when they were around. That was enough for the logic driven girl.

They were enjoying a calm ride to Hogwarts, when the train gave a shuddering jerk.

"We can't be there already. The train would have slowed down properly..." said Hermione.

Cas however was freezing in his seat. There was something foul nearby.

"Harry?"

Cas barely noticed the windows freezing up, the sound of metal and screams before he blacked out.

He woke up fifteen minutes later and noticed everyone staring at him.

"What?"

"Your eyes are back to normal," said Draco in relief.

Seeing his confusion, Hermione explained.

"You stumbled a bit, then your eyes went to the most intense blue I've ever seen. There was some sort of Nazgul outside and you drove him off with a spell I've never heard of. It seemed to scream when it hit..." shivered Hermione.

"What?! I thought John was kidding when he said weird things happen when my eyes go blue..." said Cas shocked.

"This has happened before?" said Hermione.

They were interrupted by a polite cough. It was a man wearing threadbare robes.

"Are you alright? I heard the commotion..." he started, before Cas gave him a blank look.

"New DADA teacher?" he asked his friends. They nodded. He turned to him. "You look more competent than the last two we've had. One was possessed, the other was a media whore."

Hermione choked.

"...Possessed?" he said carefully.

"Soul leech. Annoying, but I was able to exorcise him. Are we going to have any problems with you this year?"

"I take my medication, so no," he said slowly.

"Good, I would hate to have to direct Loki in your direction, considering he mentioned he would be visiting this year."

Draco shuddered. He heard things about Loki. He was vicious.

The teacher, Lupin, passed out several heavy chunks of chocolate. It took a little coaxing for Hermione, who was the daughter of dentists, to eat any.

Cas shuddered when they went past the gates. He didn't know what those foul things were, but he wanted nothing to do with them.

It wasn't until the feast when he heard what they were (and why they were there) that he startled everyone by banging his head repeatedly against the table.

The entire great hall went silent.

"Is there something you wish to share with us Mr. Potter?" asked

Dumbledore.

"Aside from the fact the Minister is a complete and utter idiot? Sirius Black is nowhere near here," complained Cas.

"And you know this how?"

"Because he's in Surrey," said Cas deadpan.

The uproar from that nearly deafened him.

"I think, Mr. Potter you had best come with me after the feast."

_In the headmaster's office_

Cas was very nervous being anywhere near Dumbledore...at least until he saw Snape there. He went closer to the potions professor on instinct.

"Now Mr. Potter, how do you know Sirius Black is in Surrey?" asked Dumbledore. There was a woman who resembled his house mate Susan in Auror robes there as well. She was likely Susan's aunt Amelia. Fudge was there too, but Cas ignored him.

"Because I ran into him in the church garden. He claimed Ius of Oraculum and Father Rick approved it."

"Now see here! Sirius Black must be handed over at once! He's a dangerous criminal!" protested Fudge.

Cas blinked, then turned his attention to the idiot.

"How can he be a criminal if he was never tried and thrown straight into Azkaban? Last I checked you had to be _convicted_ of something to be considered a convict. It's why the Vatican approved of his request for sanctuary, because there was no records of him being tried by the Ministry, yet they found he had been in Azkaban twelve years without due cause," said Cas slowly, as if talking to a child. Amelia Bones hid a snort, before she processed that statement.

"What do you mean he was in Azkaban without a trial?!"

"I mean the Vatican looked up the records of that time and the past two years after, and they didn't find a single court record where Sirius Black was convicted of anything," said Cas, "And since supposedly he's after me, he had to be with a trusted, magically inclined adult just to be in the same room as me."

Seeing their disbelieving faces, he clarified even further "I happen to know John Constantine through the Father of the church I attend. He's been training me in my psychic powers since I was five."

Amelia Bones straightened.

"What sort of ability, and has it been registered with your religion?"

"I have several, and they were registered as soon as they were verified," said Cas.

If 'Harry Potter' had a psychic gift, then it only made sense to call in well known (if not entirely well liked) wizard who knew how to train it.

"I will be looking into this matter. If Black truly has never been tried, then it's inexcusable. Once it's verified he's claimed sanctuary with the church and agrees to remain there until this is cleared up, we'll remove the dementors," said Madam Bones.

"Now see here Amelia!" Fudge started to bluster, but she shut him up with a look. Cas was very impressed.

_Later that week_

Cas felt sorry for Neville. Professor Snape had been in the room when the boggart came out...and he was annoyed with the timid Gryffindor because of the fact Neville put him in his grandmother's clothing. Someone even took pictures!

But it was after his class that Cas felt annoyed.

"Mr. Potter, a moment if you will."

Cas stayed behind. He hit the room with as many privacy spells he knew.

"Sir?"

"I just wanted to talk," said Professor Lupin.

"If this is about the fact I know you're a werewolf, you needn't worry. I can tell you at least take the recently discovered Wolfsbane potion to keep it in check," said Cas immediately. Professor Lupin choked.

"How do you..."

"Sir, I'm a psychic and one of my abilities allows me to view souls. It took me a few days to recognize what creature class you were...there were a few werewolves at the Vatican Academy."

"Vatican Academy? As in the religious magical academy in Rome?" said Lupin blinking.

"They didn't tell you? I'm Catholic."

Lupin blinked twice.

"Anyway, I wanted to know why your name was on the warning note for all new DADA teachers."

"I exorcised my first teacher, and the second one I nearly bite the head off. To be fair, they were both horrible at teaching."

"You're not going to tell the other students are you?"

"Are you going to knowingly infect them or otherwise cause harm?" asked Cas.

"No. I've been trying to avoid that since I was bit myself."

"Are you actually going to teach us, not assign pointless homework that has no actual value later during OWLs?"

"I'll assign homework, but it will come in handy later," said Lupin confused.

"Are you going to help Dumbledore corner me into a room so he can try to persuade me to quit spending so much time at the church rather than a house that barely tolerates my existence?"

"What?!" said Lupin baffled.

"Dumbledore has been trying to get me alone for the past two years, but I want nothing to do with him. Professor Sprout told me it had something to do with my living arrangements, which pretty much set off several red flags. My aunt and I are perfectly content with the current arrangement, and I see no reason to change it just because the Headmaster dislikes the fact I am more loyal to the church than I am the Ministry," said Cas simply.

Lupin looked surprised.

"I can have a word with the headmaster. While the thought of you being with Petunia is concerning, the fact you don't appear abused in any way is enough to keep my silence on the matter."

"I take it you knew my parents?"

"I was good friends with Lily and very close to James. I was the most surprised when I heard Sirius betrayed James and Lily...but if he was framed it makes far more sense," said Lupin.

* * *

><p><em><strong>October<strong>_

Everyone was still in shock over the revelation that not only was Sirius Black an innocent man sent to the worst magical prison in existence...but that the one everyone thought was a hero was in fact the real traitor.

It was just lucky that Pettigrew's mother died years ago from the loss of her son. Otherwise being stripped of his medal might have killed her anyway.

Lupin, who convinced Cas to call him Remus or Moony when they talked, borrowed Angel to contact Sirius since he was cleared of all charges finally. Sirius had forgiven his friend, but he still wasn't coming near Hogwarts until after he was cleared from the psychiatrist's office to do so.

And because it was confirmed Black wasn't after Cas (at least not in the way the Ministry originally thought) he was able to go to Hogsmeade like any other student.

Unfortunately Remus did confirm one of Cas' suspicions. Dumbledore did want him to quit going to the church orphanage so much. He kept mentioning something about blood wards, which Cas knew to be a lie because if there really was some protection left by Lily Potter, then it wouldn't have lasted this long with Petunia's attitude towards him.

If she really loved him, she wouldn't have tried to force him through an exorcism rather than send him to a psychiatrist to try and figure out what was causing what they originally assumed to be nightmares.

Though in a way, Cas was glad she had dragged him to the church. If she hadn't, he never would have met Father Rick or learned he was in fact psychic, not crazy.

But what really worried Cas was the fact Loki had finally showed up to keep him up-to-date...and Cas had to take a few days off to explain who were off limits to his special brand of pranks. He did, however, give the pagan free reign to try and loosen up Hermione before she accidentally found out about the house elves. He just knew that would never end well.

(Years later when Hermione found out who set Loki on her, she hexed Cas on sight for a full year before she finally forgave him for it.)

* * *

><p><em><strong>November<strong>_

In the end it was Cas who accidentally found Pettigrew. Sirius and Remus told him about Pettigrew's rat form, but it was his cat Christo who brought the traitor to him. Instead of immediately calling the teachers, he stunned the rat, threw him in an unbreakable cage, and then had Susan floo her aunt from the common room.

Every Hufflepuff had been told of Pettigrew's animagus form by Cas once he explained to them what really happened. And frankly they weren't inclined to trust Dumbledore to handle this right after he agreed to _dementors_ to guard the school, or the way he tried to keep Cas from going to Hogsmeade when the truth came out.

It was only because Sprout added his name last minute, before Dumbledore knew he had turned the slip in, that Cas had been able to go at all.

If there was one thing Hufflepuffs excelled at, it was teamwork. Everyone fifth year and above had their wands trained on that rat until Madam Bones showed up with a team of aurors and confirmed Cas' findings.

Pettigrew was not going to like his stay at Azkaban, because unlike Sirius this time they _knew_ he was an animagus. And one that could slip away very easily at that.

* * *

><p><em><strong>December<strong>_

For the first time in a long time, the Marauders were together. Remus joined Cas when he went 'home' to the church where Sirius took one look at the man and promptly hugged him.

Then he introduced Constantine and Remus took advantage of the fact he could cast spells without being arrested for it and hexed the man after one too many furry jokes. He was officially Cas' favorite professor.

Though McGonagall was definitely breathing down his neck for introducing Loki to the twins. He knew if he ever broke a rule that he should be sure she wasn't the one who caught him. Surprisingly Snape was fine with the pagan.

Who knew the potions teacher was a follower of Loki himself?

Loki grinned when he handed his present to Cas.

"What's this?"

"Open it and find out. That's pure addiction you have in your hands."

Inside was something smaller than most books he owned.

"A laptop?"

"A magically-_powered_ laptop. Runs off a lightning rune and it has permanent wifi. It also has infinite memory and several games already loaded onto it. Consider this thanks for introducing me to those red heads. They're hilarious!" grinned Loki.

Actually he was hoping to corrupt Cas before he ascended and became boring. With any luck Cas would stay on Earth rather than join the heavenly host when his full power kicked in.

Cas worked that through his head.

"So basically this is a way around that stupid ward that fries electronics at the school," he said slowly.

"Yup," said Loki, popping in a sucker.

Cas came to a decision.

"When I get back to Hogwarts I'm buying out the entire supply of Honeyduke's fudge and giving it you. Is there anyway we could switch Dumbledore's lemon drops with cockroach clusters?" he asked innocently.

Sirius crowed at the thought of such a prank. Finally, proof his pup was a true Marauder!

And the best part was that even though Sirius had been cleared, he had arranged a new agreement with Petunia and outsmarted Dumbledore in the process.

Apparently Sirius knew about blood wards and how they worked. More than Dumbledore suspected at any rate. He bought a house next door to the Dursleys and Cas moved in the moment the ink dried.

The wards stated he had to be within a general distance of his relative for them to be powered. There was nothing that stated he had to live with her. So he got the room closest to number 4, allowing him to have a proper home, and in exchange Petunia ignored the fact he existed. Once he turned seventeen and the wards around the house dropped, the house itself would be sold and he would move someplace else, preferably the Potter mansion.

Remus would also live with Sirius during the holidays. He liked having a steady job...though he took the new wardrobe Cas and Sirius had given him for Christmas with good humor.

Later that night when Cas played on his computer, John grinned as he saw the thirteen year old finally act his age as he quickly became addicted to _Halo_.

* * *

><p><em><strong>January<strong>_

Hermione was irritated at Cas. It had nothing to do with the fact he had gotten a magically powered laptop and everything to do with the fact that he was finally proving himself to be a teenaged boy when it came to video games.

To be fair, Hermione had cornered Loki shortly after learning where he had gotten the device and had threatened to hex his balls off the first chance she had unless he either A) back off with the pranks, or B) tell her where to get her own laptop so she could finally continue her online courses without having to wait for summer. Loki had been so impressed (and amused by the threat) that had done her one better.

He got her one.

* * *

><p><em><strong>February<strong>_

It was official. Loki had become the go-to person for a magical laptop, the best kept secret among the students. It had taken him an hour to explain how a laptop worked, another to teach him the controls, and five minutes for his three pure blood friends to create an account.

It was hilarious in the pagan's opinion.

Cas startled many of his friends when, after completing the week's homework and logging on to his favorite game, he started cursing profusely in perfect Latin.

"That idiot kill you again?"

"Every time I get onto a game, this _Impala67_ always manages to kill me!"

Cas' username was _God'sShield_. Neville had chosen _MandragoraKing,_ and Draco went with _BlackDragon13._ It had become common for the boys to get onto the games and join a team together to kill things, and it subtly improved the pure bloods opinions of muggles. Draco was already seriously considering joining Hermione in her online classes if only to learn more about them.

Her screenname was _AthenaReborn_. Shortly after learning of it, Loki jokingly asked if she would become as big a prude as the goddess was.

Hermione had kicked him hard in the shin, to the amusement of the group.

"So any plans for tomorrow?" asked Draco, smirking at the curse Cas let lose upon being reminded of his most _hated _holiday next to Halloween.

People originally asked why he hated the holiday, but as he so bluntly reminded them, it wasn't a holiday for him at all, but a reminder of the day his parents were murdered in cold blood by a madman.

Actually that was his second reason for hating it. The first being that dressing up as monsters really didn't seem appealing when you could see their true faces all the time like he could. Or hunted _actual_ demons.

"Remus said he would show me another way into the Shrieking Shack, since he was the reason why people think it's haunted."

Draco and Neville were informed of what Remus actually was. The only reason they hadn't freaked out was because A) Remus avoided people on full moons, B) took a known potion to prevent accidents brewed personally by Snape, and C) because he was the best teacher they'd had so far and the idea of dealing with some idiot who didn't know a wand from an ordinary stick was abhorrent to them.

Remus at least accepted plausible excuses for why homework was late or destroyed, and gave them a few extra days to do it.

"So did you ever get the story of why Snape hates him?"

"Apparently Sirius was an asshole that year and nearly tricked him into being either eaten or bitten while Remus was transformed. The second I heard that story from Remus, I surprised Snape by using the mirror Sirius gave me to chew the man out for being suck an arrogant blowhard worthy of a Malfoy. No offense," said Cas immediately.

"None taken. Mother was particularly pleased when I mentioned the second Voldemort even remotely looked like he was coming back I would leave behind the name of Malfoy and become a Black. I've seen you when you weren't playing around and there's no way I'm joining a side that would involve facing you," said Draco flatly.

Narcissa had been very, very pleased her son's behavior had changed into something more appropriate for the Black family, rather than becoming a miniature Lucius. While she loved her husband, Lucius was an ass and Draco had been a veritable Daddy's Boy before. It was a nice improvement...and ironically lead to a better standing in Slytherin among the pure bloods.

"I swear if I ever find this _Impala67_ in real life I'll break his nose. The guy is a total jerk!"

_(Elsewhere in America, in some random sleezy motel...)_

Dean Winchester sneezed three times, causing his pie to fall off the table from the fact his knee hit the table the same time. Sam blinked, and wondered at the random occurrence. Supposedly when people talked about you behind your back you sneezed three times. He never knew it to happen though.

Dean looked mournfully at his now ruined cherry cobbler.

"Wonder what that was about?" asked Sam.

_(Back at Hogwarts)_

Cas spent the entire day hiding. While he did reply to the cards he got rather politely, the idea of a bunch of girls trying to jump him scared the hell out of him. It amused Loki and Remus both.

* * *

><p><em><strong>March<strong>_

It seemed to be his yearly bane. The March Head Cold. Thankfully this year Loki heard why he refused to go to the hospital wing to get a pepper up potion (Dumbledore kept trying to corner him alone) and had decided the best thing to do was to bring Hecate, the Greek goddess of magic, to the school to teach them how to properly brew potions.

Snape was no fool. The second he met her he came up with an arrangement for next year because he heard she was bored out of her mind. Besides, this would net her a ton of new followers so she could tell that damn Kali where to shove those fireballs of hers next time they had the misfortune to run into each other. By next year, Hecate would be teaching potions for the fifth years and younger while Snape concentrated on the students who weren't complete idiots. He hated children and it wasn't his idea to teach the little maligners.

He blamed Dumbledore for forcing him to teach children.

At least this time he got to spread the misery. If he had to suffer through a head cold every March, then he was determined his friends would have to suffer with him.

He set Loki and the twins on them.

* * *

><p><em><strong>April<strong>_

The prank war between Cas and his group against Loki and the twins was legendary. Not since Snape went against the Marauders with Cas' mother Lily had there been such chaos.

The April Fool's prank war would live in the memory of students long after the groups had graduated.

* * *

><p><em><strong>May<strong>_

"I still don't see WHY I had to take Divination. I knew more about scrying than she did," complained Cas.

Trelawny had been startled when Cas actually got the hang of the crystal ball on the first try. To be fair, John knew more about the subject than the perpetually drunk and high teacher and this was one thing Cas could do. He was still annoyed about being forced to take it instead of Ancient Runes. Fortunately he was able to rework his schedule so he could make up the class with Hermione and Neville. The only subject he really enjoyed was CoMC.

Cas was unsurprised when he got full marks on his Divination final.

"I'm just glad your teacher doesn't mind me coming round the church to learn the subject properly. I mean really, limiting the subject to divining the future is ridiculous! Divination is much more fascinating when you're not trying to predict possible futures!" said Hermione in a huff.

Hermione had dropped the subject the second Cas told her it was a waste of time. Trelawny might have had limited Sight, but she foolishly restricted it to future events. Cas had read the book backwards and forwards and no where did it tell you how to use the art for anything other than predicting future events.

Scrying was much more reliable.

Suddenly they all stopped.

"What's this about?" asked Hermione.

Cas went up to Luna.

"What's going on?"

"Someone outed Lupin. Snape claims it wasn't him, but someone leaked he was a werewolf to Malfoy," said Luna unhappily.

Cas went to find Snape. He looked beyond irritated.

"Who leaked the information? Last I checked you were fine with Lupin being here so long as he kept the twins far from you," said Cas.

"I'm guessing it was our Headmaster. He's not happy with having another staff member on your side that will help you evade him," he said sourly.

Cas growled.

"I'm going to have Loki put an extreme diarrhea spell on those damn lemon drops of his for this. Wonder how he'll react when he finds out I'm planning to take my OWLs at the Vatican Academy?"

"Make sure I'm present when he finds out you plan to transfer," said Snape immediately, cheering up.

And with that, the year ended.


	5. Hogwarts, Year Four

_**Here are the pairings for Forgotten Angel so far. Brotherly! Gabriel/Cas, Brief Luna/Cas and the winner for the Constantine pairing is...TONKS! Enjoy, this chapter is almost 10,000 words long! I have no idea why they keep getting longer though!**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>June<strong>_

Cas was happy. His application for the summer school sessions in the Vatican Academy were accepted. He was also...confused.

"I still don't get why I keep running into spells that wouldn't look out of place in _Final Fantasy_."

Jake, a priest-in-training, snorted.

"Where did you think the creators of that series got the idea for the White Mage and Seer class? Most wizards and witches from Europe would be classed as low-level red mages."

"Why low-level?"

"They can't doublecast," came Jake's quick reply.

Cas snorted before he started laughing.

"So...any luck finding this _Impala67_ guy?"

Cas twitched. _Impala67_ was his worst enemy...online at least. If the game involved PvP or allowed killing, the jerk always seemed to find him and he always ended in the graveyard. The only solution he could seem to find was playing so late that he nearly overslept for class.

"None," said Cas.

"Well, you'll find him eventually, if only through stalking him with your owl," snorted Jake, "Come on, if you want to make the choir club next year we had better hurry."

Cas perked up at that, and they raced to the club room. If there was one thing Cas excelled at, it was singing. In fact the club leader for the choir had already left a spot permanently open for Cas once he left Hogwarts this year.

It was funny how Dumbledore was so concerned about 'Harry Potter' that it never occurred to him the boy would have enough common sense to simply change his name to escape scrutiny.

As Cas had been annoyed to learn, the words 'Common Sense' and 'Wizard' did not go together. At all.

After practice, Cas was waylaid by members of the 'Final Fantasy' club. Apparently they heard Jake's comment about red mages and realized Cas was a fan too.

* * *

><p><em><strong>July<strong>_

"Happy Birthday Cas!" said Jake. Cas grinned. He had already gotten gifts from Loki, who passed on the presents from the church and John. Among them were all the latest "Final Fantasy" games and a 3DS with some games. All enchanted so they could run in Hogwarts.

"What's this?"

"Remember that joke you made about _Final Fantasy X_ and how you wondered if people could summon like they do in the game?"

In Cas' hands was what appeared to be a rather odd stringed instrument. Cas was proficient enough in the guitar not to sound terrible, but he rarely played.

"This is something we've been working on, but none of us had the skill to use. We got it off a Japanese cartoon called '_Polyphonica Crimson S'_ where they summon spirits through music," said Jake proudly.

Cas' eyes light up with realization.

"And because I'm the only one who doesn't sound horrible while playing and sound good while singing..." said Cas.

"And because out of all of us, you aren't actively training to be a priest," said Jake.

Out of all the students applying, Cas was the only one not actively trying to be a priest (or higher) when he got older.

In order to attend the Academy, you had to state which career you wanted outright on the form. Cas had written down 'Professional Exorcist and Demonologist' on his. Normally that would get a few eyebrows, but the fact of the matter was that the higher a rank you had with the Vatican and the Church, the easier it was to take down demons. Becoming a priest was merely a side note, and gave them greater leniency with the authorities.

"Ah. I see your point."

Summoning spirits was something that would be heavily frowned upon later and could damage their chances at reaching cardinal, if they were lucky. Researching for someone else, however, was considered just barely acceptable.

"Go on, give it a try!" said Jake.

Cas put his hands on the strings...and he put his magic into the instrument. The strings lit up and so did his eyes, which turned a haunting blue. He played a calming melody, entrancing anyone who heard it.

Everyone was silent as Cas played. So it was with great shock that they started to notice odd lights dancing around him.

The moment Cas finished the song, he noticed them too.

"Wow... I wasn't expecting it to work this well!" said Jake impressed.

Cas' eyes went back to green.

"We are going to have so much fun playing with this next year!" said Jake grinning.

"I wonder what would happen if I added my voice to the music?" asked Cas.

"One step at a time. First, let's party!"

Matt, a potential clerk for the Vatican library, looked at another present in awe.

"Holy cow! Is that what I think it is?"

"A Cloudskimmer. The best broom that's legally allowed on the market. It outstrips the Firebolt several times, but the odds of getting one without some serious connections are near impossible. Even the Quidditch league couldn't afford them!" said Jake in awe.

"Which gives me another reason to be glad that I don't intend to take a vow of poverty," deadpanned Cas.

The boys nodded in agreement. There were certain vows one had to take in order to advance to a higher station. Cas had no intention of swearing a vow of chastity or poverty, for example.

"Who sent this?" asked Jake suspiciously.

Cas looked at the note.

"My Godfather apparently. Since he couldn't exactly get me presents due to being illegally incarcerated for twelve years, he decided to go big...and apparently it's a way to make the English Minister sweat because he had to pay for half as reparations to the House of Black. According to this note, the broom alone nearly drained the man dry of his bribes for the next five years," said Cas dryly.

That got a good laugh out of his friends. Fudge was widely known as the WORST Minister in Europe's history. He was little more than a patsy for the pure bloods and anyone who had even a smidgen of intelligence knew it.

The fact Black nearly drained the man's bribe money dry was amusing to say the least.

"Come on Cas, let's give it a test run!" said Jake eagerly.

Cas snorted. He knew what they really wanted, and the fact was he didn't mind. Stealing was against the rules in the Academy, and if you were caught more than three times you were kicked out without exception.

He let each of the boys he was well acquainted with take it for a few loops around the field set up for Quidditch fanatics. While he didn't care for the sport, he didn't mind letting them try it out once he broke it in. He shocked them all by taking the broom out at maximum speed and doing several sharp curves and loops without falling or anything.

The strange thing was that he felt he could have gone much, much faster without the broom itself.

"Wow! Why aren't you part of the Quidditch team again?" said Jake awestruck.

"Because I'm not stupid enough to fly while there are small iron orbs trying to bash my head in," came Cas' immediate response.

Jake snorted. Then he noticed a rather ragged looking owl coming their way.

"For the love of...why haven't they retired that owl already?" said Cas. He flew up to meet Errol and saved the bird some flying.

"What is it?"

"An invitation to the Quidditch World Cup from the Weasleys. Apparently Sirius took a liking to the twins and invited the whole family and Mrs. Weasley didn't hear that I'm not really a fan of the sport," said Cas looking at the letter. Inside was a set of tickets for up to four people, not including Cas who already had a ticket in the event he was interested.

"Doesn't the Academy let people attend the games?" said Jake eagerly.

Cas looked at the expectant eyes of his friends. He sighed.

"Settle who gets to go among yourselves, and remember there's only four. If it comes to a tie for the last one I'll see if I can't get another but only in the event of a tie," said Cas.

The other boys cheered. Cas really was a great friend.

In the end the boys were able to settle it with a simple drawing contest made completely random by asking Cas to hold the straws. Though the one who lost lucked out when one of the teachers busted another boy for not doing his homework. Which would take him some time to finish so he wouldn't be able to see the game anyway.

"Cas, you are easily _the_ most awesome friend we've ever had!" said Jake. The other boys nodded in agreement. He let them borrow his top-of-the-line broom, he gave them free tickets for the best seat in the Quidditch World Cup and he helped them with their homework when it came to translating Latin!

Well that and he often helped them slaughter the competition in online gaming tournaments, provided they kill his arch enemy _Impala67_ before the jerk had a chance to kill him first.

Cas had been very happy when he heard the guy swearing profusely after his friends killed him as soon as he logged on. They found the easiest way to deal with him was to kill him fast and hard, giving them time to get to another area.

* * *

><p><em><strong>August<strong>_

The day of the Quidditch World Cup, and the boys were having trouble sitting still. They were given a full week off from classes to attend, along with an approved tent that they had to set up. Since Constantine was also going (mostly because Sirius knew the Ministry hated him and it was the perfect way to piss them off further without getting in trouble for it) he was acting as chaperone for them.

He just had to keep all drinking for when he was in the stadium and out of eyeshot of an annoyed Cas.

Cas put up with it because he wouldn't have to share with the Weasleys who, while very nice people, were rather hard to deal with when one was attempting to sleep.

Besides, he had to return Errol to Mr. Weasley along with the new rather cheap barn owl he had bought before leaving. It was long past time to let the poor owl live out his golden years. Errol would die from overwork otherwise. He did, however, place a charm on the new bird that would allow it to ignore anything over a certain decibel level...Molly Weasley's shrieks were legendary after all, as were her infamous howlers.

He heard that the people who made the howlers actually had a 'Molly-Approved' version which could handle the full power of her voice. She had not been amused but it had become so popular she couldn't get rid of it.

"So where are we located?" asked Jake.

"Far from the other tents. Since we were invited with the Weasley family, ours will be a few feet from them. And yes, we are allowed to ward ours just in case the idiots celebrating get too rowdy and we have approval for non-lethal spells in the event the drunken Death Eaters remember their old ways. Voldemort wasn't exactly a fan of the Catholic church after all," said Cas dryly.

"Ah! Harry, over here!" said Sirius.

Cas and the others went to where Sirius was. They were trying to set up the tent, but it was clear the only one who had any idea of how was Hermione. Mr. Weasley just got in the way.

"Alright, would one of you help her set the tents up? We can get ours started while that's happening," said Cas.

"I'll do it," offered Jake.

Hermione thanked him profusely.

Cas however had his attention somewhere else.

"Is that little Katelyn and Daniel from the orphanage?"

"Turns out they were muggleborns, so Father Rick said they could come. Give them a taste of magic before they turn eleven. Danny in particular is interested in the Academy, so this was a good chance for him to hear what sort of classes and activities there are," said Sirius.

"Cas! Cas!" they said excitedly. Finding out they had magic was very exciting.

"Why do they call you Cas?" asked Hermione.

"It's a story I don't intend to get into. Suffice to say they don't know me as Harry," said Cas flatly.

She nodded. After the talking down Cas had given her upon introducing the girl to Dobby last year when he asked for permission to get John some very expensive and hard to make potions, she was very reluctant to deal with him nearly biting her head off again.

Yes, the condition of some house elves were deplorable and yes Dobby had been a veritable slave. But the fact was that house elves _relied_ on mortal magic to survive since they were cut off from the faerie courts after the first batch was enslaved.

Ever since then they've become little more than shells of their former selves.

Hermione had been displeased, but when confronted with a very annoyed Cas, a rather embarrassed Flitwick (he was half-goblin and knew the real facts of the matter personally) and a slightly irritated Luna...not to mention a historical account of the events leading to brownies becoming known as 'house elves' in the first place, she had reluctantly backed off.

"That reminds me. You're Bill and Charlie right?"

The two red heads looked up. Cas handed Bill Errol and the barn owl to Charlie.

"Errol is in dire need of retirement. Tell Mrs. Weasley not to think of this as charity, but as a reason to let that poor owl live out the remainder of his life in peace rather than having to carry letters all day."

"I think mum might accept that. If you had given her a new owl because you felt sorry for us, she might have tried to take it back, but a new owl to give Errol a chance for retirement is another story," nodded Bill.

The Weasleys were notorious for not accepting charity from others well. Which was why Cas had taken so long to return Errol to his family. The owl certainly appreciated the fact someone cared about him enough to find his replacement, and had in fact found one he thought was suitable for the job.

"We'll just pop back home for a spell and tell mum what happened to Errol and why she now has a new family owl," said Charlie grinning. He liked Cas.

With a pop, the two vanished. They returned fifteen minutes later, this time without any birds.

Arthur waited expectantly for their report of Molly's reaction.

"Mum said thanks and she'll let Errol retire in peace except for short distances," said Bill.

Cas had estimated Molly Weasleys reaction to a new owl correctly. Just giving the bird outright out of pity would have ended badly. Allowing the current one who was far too old to be carrying howlers to Scotland however, was another story.

In the scant hours before the match, Cas decided to insure the Weasleys had enough gold to pay for new things this year and hopefully the next few years.

He brought out cards and pretended to play poker against the twins and Ron. He proceeded to 'lose' spectacularly, netting the family half what they won last year at the Ministry drawing.

Arthur tried to protest against the gold, but Cas had an answer to diffuse his embarrassment.

"Ron's known for not having any tact, so now people will underestimate me while I drain several pure bloods dry of their inheritance. Besides, it's not like I needed the gold," said Cas.

That and any attempts to repay said gold fell on deaf ears. Ron was thrilled to have enough to pay for a pair of omniculars and a few Quidditch related items he normally wouldn't have.

Cas discreetly gave the twins another two thousand galleons...under strict orders to get new brooms because he had noticed last year how frayed theirs were. The old brooms could be given to Ginny and Ron. The rest they could spend on their potential joke shop, which was all the reason they needed to accept the coin.

Cas had been listening to their goals, and in exchange for providing start up capital, his name would be on the paper as a third owner with equal shares.

He just warned them not to let their mother know he was lending them Angel until they were able to do more than sell via owl-order in order to start the business up.

Sirius was very proud Cas was showing _some_ Marauder initiative considering what a 'stick-in-the-mud' he normally was.

He still didn't get why Loki insisted on calling Cas his 'little brother' though.

_The match..._

Cas noticed the ONE person in the entire place who was about as fascinated with Quidditch as he was. Naturally he chose to sit next to her to Draco's amusement.

Narcissa Black ne Malfoy hated Quidditch. So the fact the boy-who-lived helped distract her from the blasted sport by holding a quiet running commentary on the player's _flying_ ability amused her.

The fact he had been keeping track of the snitch and could locate it in five seconds when the Seekers themselves had such trouble locating it amused her even more. Especially when a baffled Draco immediately demanded why he wasn't on the Hufflepuff Quidditch team when he had the skill to find the snitch that fast and keep track of it.

Cas leveled a calm green-eyed stare at him and said loud enough for the entire box to hear, "Draco, why in heaven's name would I want to play a game where the only thing I would have to do is fly around looking like an idiot while trying to avoid having my head caved in by iron balls meant to kill or otherwise maim me? It's not even that interesting anyway."

Narcissa couldn't help it. She started cackling with delight. Finally, someone who agreed with her about the stupid sport!

Cas vaguely noticed the Irish win. Frankly he wasn't that fond of the sport, but he was glad his friends were having a great time.

_After the match_

Cas found himself with an amusing situation. Apparently he had impressed Narcissa so much with his snarky comments that she had insisted on joining them back to their tents. Draco had no interest in being left alone in their tent that he escorted her.

He was quickly dragged into an online tournament with the other boys from the Vatican Academy and Cas. Narcissa watched with amusement as her son actively cursed and mashed the buttons of his laptop killing imaginary monsters.

It was the most amusing thing she had seen her son do since he nailed his father with a rather wet fart when he was a child.

"I think this is the first time I've ever seen you get along with the Weasleys," said Sirius amused.

"It's not the family I hate, but Molly. I could care less about Arthur and the boys," said Narcissa flatly.

"Thanks...I think?" said Bill.

Cas had an evil, positively Marauder-worthy idea.

"How up-to-date are you with muggle and wizarding fashions?"

"Please, I hold more muggle fashion than magical. They have better taste," said Narcissa with a sniff. She might be pure blood, but she would admit that much.

"How much would it take to convince you to take Sirius, Constantine and Remus out on a shopping spree to update their wardrobe?"

Sirius openly choked on his fire whiskey, and John gave Cas a dirty look.

Narcissa on the other hand looked positively gleeful.

"Can I drag my sister into this?"

"Absolutely. I'm sure Sirius would be willing to fork over the gold just to watch Remus and Constantine suffer," said Cas with a straight face.

"Are we allowed to warn Remus first, and can we drag one other person into this?"

"No and yes," said Cas.

Constantine looked at Sirius.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"You mean outside of the sheer torture we're going to endure?"

"I was thinking we could bring Loki or Chas into this and not warn them," said John.

"Oh. I'm in," said Sirius evilly. The more people who got to suffer, the happier he would be.

When most of the younger students were asleep when the noise reached them. Instead of panicking, Cas had everyone not old enough to cast spells inside the wards of the Vatican tent, which was much safer than running around with the possibility of being split up.

Cas kept the other pure bloods distracted by introducing them to internet...and Hermione quiet with a rare book. Meanwhile, the 'former' Death Eaters went on a rampage outside. Because Cas had some forethought, they were able to save the magical tents Mr. Weasley had brought with him.

The others in their area weren't so lucky.

It was just lucky none of their group lost their wand. Cas heard that someone from the top box had theirs taken by a house elf of all things.

* * *

><p><em>One week before September...<em>

Sirius looked at an overly amused Cas.

"I hate you so much right now. I hope you realize that."

Cas merely pointed at Tonks and John, and Sirius perked up in amusement.

Nymphadora Tonks was their cousin...and she had a thing for bad boys. Constantine, who was the equivalent of a demon in the eyes of the Aurors, fell into that category. The fact he was actually a good man with a rather snarky attitude only made it better...not to mention the fact Narcissa had tricked John into walking out with a shirt twice, once in full view of Tonks.

John found the fact she was a metamorph fascinating, but not that important.

The only thing Andromeda had to say of the matter was that she would rather have her daughter date Constantine than Lupin. Lupin was old enough to be her father. There was a mere ten year age gap between him and her daughter...he just looked old because of his life style and career.

"Remind me again why I agreed to this?" asked Loki.

Every male present pointed immediately at Cas. He looked (and succeeded) innocently at them back. His eyes were in the perfect puppy dog look.

"Ah yes. The devil know as Harry Potter conned us into this. Well that and he promised Constantine would suffer a hell he couldn't bluff his way out of," said Loki knowingly.

Cas smiled innocently at an annoyed John.

"Well at least I don't have to just look at your fugly ass without a shirt on," John said.

"Ah yes, let's not forget the clumsy, if rather adorable Nymph..."

Loki shut up in a hurry when he felt said witch's wand on his back. It was aimed in a way where it could do some damage to his boys if she cast anything.

Constantine smirked at him.

"I thought the little Nymph said not to call her by her full name?"

John had gotten Tonks not to hex him by telling her flatly that A) her mother was with them and it would be confusing to just call her Tonks, and B) Dora was the name of a Hispanic girl who taught children Spanish with talking animals. Hence why he was the only one allowed to just call her Nymph.

Andromeda found the subtle flirting cute.

"That was pure hell pup. If I hadn't had to go through that, I would have approved of the prank," said Sirius glaring at a cherubic Cas. Narcissa and Andromeda snickered behind their hands. Cas had been escorting them with an amused Draco, who had been roped in mostly so the older men could make him suffer with them.

Unfortunately for that plan, Narcissa often took Draco shopping and aside from a few jeans and tight black shirts, Draco had come out relatively unscathed. Cas had been...kind...enough to produce a small hand-held tablet for Draco to play his online games that ran on a lightning rune. The overly amused Draco managed to lose himself in the game, ignoring the suffering the older gentlemen were going through.

Cas hadn't come out emptyhanded. He was a willing dress up doll after spotting a black trench coat similar to what John wore.

The women all thought him appropriately handsome with it on, and had based his entire wardrobe around that coat.

It gave him a certain roguish appeal that had already caught the attention of anyone under twenty, to their amusement.

"Look at the bright side. At least now John and Remus aren't wearing salvation army cast offs," said Cas.

"True," said Sirius, admitting that point. Remus' clothes had become threadbare recently. And John went through clean ones like no one's business.

"I hate you both," said Remus flatly. His feet were murdering him!

"I don't know, I thought it was rather fun," said Loki grinning.

"How in god's name was that fun?" asked Sirius incredulous. Loki hooked a thumb at the subtly flirting John and the crushing Tonks. Sirius conceded his point. Watching those two was hilarious, mostly because of Tonks changing her features every few seconds trying to pick up on John's subtle queues.

At the very least, training her in his work would give them something to bond over, and he could include Narcissa as well. If anyone knew about the dark arts without going batshit insane (thank you Bellatrix) it would be Narcissa Malfoy.

"That reminds me, hand over that phone will you Loki?"

"Why?"

"Blackmail material. Want to send this to Chas so he can laugh at John later," was the immediate response of Cas. Loki grinned, and handed over the phone. This was hilarious. Said half-demon showed up five minutes later with a camera.

* * *

><p><em><strong>September<strong>_

"So I heard from a little birdy that someone dragged three grown men and a pagan into cloths shopping with the Black sisters," said Neville grinning. Befriending Cas had done wonders for his confidence.

"Loki was a bonus. It was mostly a way for Narcissa to make Sirius suffer horribly while dragging as many people down as possible while he funded her clothes habit," said Cas straight-faced. Draco snorted in open amusement.

Hermione did a doubletake when she saw the new black trench coat Cas wore. Thanks to a simple patch that could be removed with a 'finite', Cas could wear it in place of the robes.

Luna actually tried very hard not to drool. She would be the first to admit her attraction to Harry, but she didn't know if he would show any interest back. Years of being taunted because of her Sight made it hard for her to handle his rejection.

"So did anything else happen?" asked Hermione.

"You mean aside from the fact Constantine will soon be getting a shape-shifting girlfriend who can turn into any woman he wants? Not really. Though my application did go through and this will be my final year at Hogwarts," said Cas.

"WHAT?!" shrieked Hermione.

"I want to become an exorcist. And Father Rick got me an early application to the Vatican Academy, which has been known to produce the best _approved _hunters around. The only thing was that the minimum age requirement to attend is fifteen. Though they do allow for summer classes for people trying to improve their chances at getting in. I had a few other schools I was interested in, but that was the one I wanted to go to," said Cas.

Hermione and Luna looked disappointed.

"To be blunt Hermione, Hogwarts isn't even the best school out there. At best it could be considered a springboard to more interesting careers, and let's face it, the pure bloods aren't exactly thrilled to let first gens into their job market. The unemployment rate for first gens is through the roof and the number of homeless ones is almost just as bad."

Hermione thought he was joking until she realized Draco and Neville didn't correct him.

"It's that bad?" she asked. They nodded. It was a sobering thought.

"Do you want me to make copies of the pamphlets I have from my alternate school search?" he asked. She nodded. No way was she going to be stuck in a dead-end market where they passed around the same gold and called it profit!

Cas didn't know (and didn't care) that the pamphlets would spark a new trend among muggleborn students. If England was so determined to stay behind the times, then they would move on without them until the old blood died out...or was forcibly wiped out.

For years after the speech Hermione gave to her fellow muggleborns, those born without a lineage that would make some of the better careers accessible used Hogwarts as a stepping stone to better jobs and salary.

The Ministry said they had to take and pass most of their OWLs to avoid losing their wands and memories. They said nothing about the first gens sticking around Hogwarts the full seven years.

And by the time they realized there was a problem, it was far, far too late.

Back to the present though.

Cas felt remotely sorry for the first years. This time around there was a massive storm front and they were right in the thick of it. At least they got to ride the thestral-drawn carriages and avoid most of the deluge.

However it was the current DADA teacher that set him on edge.

Whoever this man was, there was no way in hell he was the real Mad-Eye. Cas had heard stories about Moody from his fellow Puffs, and by all accounts he was a man much like John, just quite a bit more paranoid. This man, however, did not look or act like the Moody he heard about should.

Not to mention the obvious limp he had. Cas suspected the man was an imposter under Polyjuice. He would have to keep watch to prove it though.

* * *

><p><em><strong>October<strong>_

Cas was horrified. While he was collecting proof Moody was a fake, the man apparently slipped his name into the Goblet of Fire for a competition Cas had absolutely no interest in.

He had said it loudly to his housemates he had no interest in it.

So when the name Harry Potter came out, he felt rightfully upset. And he let it be known in spades.

More than one student walked away that night with a full parchment of creative swearing from Cas' mouth.

He literally had to be dragged into the side room, still pissed as hell.

Still, at least no one believed Ron when he claimed Cas had put his name in deliberately later.

_Inside the side room_

"This cannot be. Hogwarts cannot have _two _champions!" protested Madame Maxime.

Before they all got incensed over the fact Cas had been selected against his will, he cleared his throat loudly.

"The problem is that there are two champions for Hogwarts, correct?" he asked. Seeing them nod, he smirked. It was about time Dumbledore got a rude wake-up call. "Then the answer is simple. Don't register me as a _Hogwarts_ champion."

"My boy, there is no other choice! You must compete!" said Bagman.

"When did I state I wasn't going to go through with this nonsense? I simply stated I wasn't going to be listed as a Hogwarts student. If you look at my records, you'll see that I've been taking summer classes in the Vatican Academy for Magic, a well known and respected school in Rome. Just tell the people in charge I'm participating as a member of the Academy instead of this one. Is that acceptable?"

Barty Crouch looked uncomfortable.

"It is unusual, but there is a precedent. However the student in question was moving to the new school the next year to take their OWLs," he said.

"Again, look at my school transcripts. It will clearly state that my request for transfer was approved last month. I will be transferring to the Academy for my fifth year," said Cas calmly.

The transfer papers was under both names. And approved under the name Cas Shields.

Dumbledore looked like someone had slapped him with a fish. Clearly he hadn't heard about this!

"Well then...I suppose we can live with there being four champions, so long as one school does not claim two," said Karkaroff slowly.

_Puppy eyes and gravelly voice for the win. Thank you Loki for teaching me the unholy combination to win over idiots,_ though Cas.

Boy had John been pissed when Cas first demonstrated that trick.

Sirius, however, had laughed like a hyena. Mostly because Cas had used it on Remus to get extra bacon on his burger.

Cas returned to his dorm with Cedric, thankful he didn't share a house with Ron. At least the Puffs waited for Cedric to explain the ruling before they pounced.

"Wait, you're _leaving_?" said Susan.

"Next year. The law states I have to take my OWLs, but if you look closely it never said it had to be in the original school you attended for the first four years, only that it had to be a magical institution of good standing. Legally I can change schools before my OWLs and have the results sent back to England. Besides, the only reason I didn't changes schools earlier is because the age limit was set to 15 for the earliest applicants. Fourteen, if you want to take the summer school sessions like I did," explained Cas.

"It got the judges off our case about two champions," piped Cedric.

"This way, the other houses can't say Hufflepuff added two champions to make our house better than the others," added Cas.

Seeing the other students work this through, they agreed it was a better idea. Just because he would be leaving this year didn't mean he wasn't still a Hufflepuff, and he made it clear he wasn't trying to upstage Cedric at all.

Not to mention the amount of swearing he let off upon hearing he was being forcibly dragged into the tournament against his will. He had been furious, not happy.

* * *

><p><em><strong>November<strong>_

Cas was going to kill whoever the hell put his name in that damn Goblet. Fortunately he had one weapon he hadn't bothered to use to keep people the hell away from him and his rather volatile mood swings. Loki, when he noticed it, had choked up with laughter upon realizing Cas was finally hitting puberty. As a result the hormones were making his legendary patience become shot to hell and back.

However the solution to the glaring and mistrust sent his way (courtesy of Ron's big mouth and his natural stupidity) finally had his limited patience snap.

Which was why he was being escorted everywhere by a fully mature, thousand-year-old basilisk with a spell to prevent anyone from being petrified or worse, killed on the eyes.

He offered to let Snape drain the venom in exchange for leaving Hufflepuff students alone in class. It was a win for three parties. Hufflepuff no longer had to deal with an annoyed Snape, Snape got some rare basilisk venom to play with, and Tiamat (the snake) got rid of her persistent fang ache from not being able to poison anyone.

The fact Cas let people know he was a parselmouth the entire time but hadn't said anything had come as a shocking blow. For about five minutes.

Frankly people had trouble equating the rather calm and helpful 'Harry Potter' with the patience of a saint with Voldemort, who was the last known parselmouth.

No one who could put up with Hermione's study habits and Draco's snarky attitude without snapping before this could possibly be evil. Surely he would have set the snake loose long before now if he was.

It was actually quite hilarious to see Dumbledore all but shit himself from shock upon coming face-to-face with Slytherin's monster...and living to tell the tale.

Draco, bless his black greedy heart, had been the one to explain why it listened to him. Cas might not be Slytherin's heir by blood, but he was by right of magic. That alone was more than enough to gain the pure bloods respect.

Still, not everything was going good for Cas.

Dumbledore was trying to get him to reconsider his decision to leave, and it was really starting to piss him off.

If this kept up he would challenge the headmaster to a duel, experience be damned.

Especially after the man subtly insured Hagrid would show him the dragons. Which, Hufflepuff pride had all but demanded he tell Cedric about.

He still didn't get why the dragon had taken one whiff of his magic and had immediately started cuddling him like a dragon chick.

And damn Loki to hell and back for capturing several photos of Cas being mothered by a hormonal dragon female! The worst part was that even Charlie was holding his sides from laughing so hard...once he got over the shock that is.

He was so going to get Loki for this.

* * *

><p><em><strong>December<strong>_

Cas decided to break tradition for two reasons. One, it was his last year at Hogwarts and two, it was apparently mandatory for champions to dance.

He did have somewhat vindictive pleasure in inviting Jake and his small group of musicians and managing to outdo the 'Weirding Sisters' who sounded so off-key it was horrible to listen to it.

Cas noted with surprised that his date Luna wasn't the only one in awe of his voice. Pretty much all arguments or rivalries died the moment they heard him sing 'Amazing Grace'. Who knew the Great Hall had such amazing acoustics?

Still, if Dumbledore didn't leave him alone Cas would steal that blasted wand he never let out of his sight. Cas always had a bad feeling about that bone white thing, and he knew it had something to do with his missing memories.

Or why he had those black out moments that always left people in awe or scared.

* * *

><p><em><strong>January<strong>_

Dumbledore tried to corner him again a week before the first task. Apparently the goblet had spit out a name for the second task (which by then they all realized it was a retrieval one for underwater settings) and it was one that they couldn't use.

Apparently John was the name it spat out. Who knew the one Cas was closest to (barring Loki for some odd reason) was Constantine?

When Dumbledore tried to find a replacement for the retrieval mission, Cas noticed he tried to break into his mind repeatedly under the ruse of the tournament.

"Stay out of my head!" he screamed. The portraits above all woke with a start, and started glaring at Dumbledore. Legilmency on students was _illegal_ for a reason!

Realizing the game was up, Dumbledore drew a bone white wand on Cas. He was unaware that the boy had taken to wearing his cloak under his now familiar trench coat. Cas used the coat to block the first spell, then used his superior speed to punch Dumbledore in the nose, breaking it.

He knew better than to fight with magic. Dumbledore had years of experience on him and that wand. But he was faster, younger and could take a hit much better than a hundred-year-old man could. And he didn't have that weird ability to heal from physical injuries in less than a few days like Cas did. His innate magic never had to develop that reaction.

It took Cas five minutes and blocking multiple fast-paced spells with his cloak before he was able to disarm Dumbledore. He could feel the wand in his hand thrum in reaction to it's new Master.

Cas immediately made a double and tossed the fake onto the bleeding form of Dumbledore who was unaware of the switch.

"Next time you try to force me to become your pawn, I'll do worse than break bones," warned Cas angrily. He stomped out of the room furious that the senile headmaster tried to force him to stay.

He later learned they settled on Draco, since Krum had for some reason chosen Hermione as his hostage. Cas surprised Krum by wishing him luck and suggesting he keep her happy with rare books and thoughtful gestures.

Though it could have been because Cas blessed his relationship with Hermione, stating that he was the most decent person who had ever shown any actual interest in her.

Hermione, who had been within earshot, blushed. If Cas approved of him (and the fact he could see souls and knew what sort of person Victor really was helped) then she had no reason not to date the Quidditch star, despite not being a fan like Draco was.

Personally Cas felt the reason Krum was attracted to her was because she was down-to-earth, wasn't that big a fan of Quidditch to make a big deal about dating him, and very smart. The fact she cleaned up well was just a bonus.

* * *

><p><em><strong>February<strong>_

Cas was glaring at all the judges. Not because they kidnapped Draco. He could live with that because he knew they wouldn't _dare_ leave him down there to die. No, he was pissed because they forced the champions to swim in the middle of bloody February when the water would be frigid and the guarantee of pneumonia would be all but certain.

The only one fine with this nonsense was Viktor, who went swimming in this lake every morning.

Apparently the other two agreed with him, because when he swung his glare at a still recovering Dumbledore (who just happened to be next to the other headmasters) they turned their heads and glared as well.

"Remind me why we're doing this again? I mean out of the four of us, only one is going to get paid," asked Cas.

That made them stop to think, before the glaring redoubled.

They were risking their lives against dragons, freezing water and who knew what the hell else...all for gold they might not get if they weren't fast enough and for a brief moment of glory that no one would remember.

Cas was right, they weren't being paid enough to swim in a lake in the middle of bloody February that just _happened_ to house a carnivorous giant kraken.

"All in favor of cussing out the judges when we get out?"

"Only if you lend us some of the ones you use. Don't think I didn't notice the respect the other boys gave you after the tirade you let loose when your name was called," said Cedric cuckling.

"I'll ask Loki to bring Constantine. Most of those I picked up from him when things go south in a hurry. He has a few zingers that I don't use because they use god's name in vain," said Cas immediately.

"I can see it," snorted Cedric.

One by one they dove into the lake. The spectators would have quickly gone bored if not for the fact that Cas for some reason shone like a beacon underwater. Needless to say the other three followed his lead deep in the lake.

And the mermaids were beyond pissed at Dumbledore for convincing them to take the friends of a Bright One hostage. Contrary to their orders, they did nothing to hinder Cas or his friends.

They weren't stupid enough to bring the wrath of a Bright One that shone that strong upon their colony!

Cas gave a tired look to the mermaid, hearing the same phrase again.

What in god's name was a Bright One?

* * *

><p><em><strong>March<strong>_

Loki took pity on Cas and stopped the cold early. The teen looked at Loki gratefully, before he asked the one question Loki might be willing to answer.

"Why does every speaking creature call me Bright One? Even the centaurs insist calling me that!"

Loki stalled.

"They call you Bright One. Those exact words, capitals and all?" he asked carefully.

Cas nodded in annoyance.

"I'll be right back."

Loki left and returned two hours later, looking both shocked and befuddled.

Suddenly a lot of things made sense. Cas' strong belief in God despite what everyone threw at him, the fact he felt so at ease with him even though they had just met, and the fact he had a fully matured Grace.

Cas wasn't a human. He was an angel who had his memories either wiped or scattered to the four winds. No wonder he had hugged Loki without hesitation or introduction.

Loki took him to a private room called the come-and-go room by elves.

"What's this about Loki?" asked Cas suspiciously.

"My name wasn't always Loki. And I'm hoping that out of all the others you'll at least have some sense," said Loki cryptically, before he unleashed his wings.

Cas stared in shock. Six beautiful golden wings were behind Loki's back, though he could tell some of them had been damaged over the centuries. Without thinking, Cas began to smooth out the damage.

"So what is your name?"

"I'm Gabriel."

Cas didn't notice Gabriels' grace settling over him protectively. It had been a long time since he let anyone in, let alone know his true name. And this little angel had clearly been abandoned by heaven, otherwise they would have raised one hell of a fuss about the fact Cas had been hanging around Constantine. By the time Cas was done with his wings, Gabriel was snuggling up to the little angel. Cas certainly didn't seem to mind.

* * *

><p><em><strong>April<strong>_

With the revelation of Loki's real name, the arch angel had all but claimed Cas as his little brother, much the same way John had once he realized how fond he was of the runt. If there was one thing Cas was good at, it was loyalty.

Probably why the hat had thrown him to the Puffs.

It wasn't uncommon for Gabriel to seek him out and cuddle with him...in a non-romantic way of course. Cas put up with it because underneath all the jokes and smartass comments, he could tell the arch angel was lonely and missed heaven. He definitely missed having other angels around.

Besides, something in his soul told Cas that he needed to help Gabriel. Like it was responding to the other angel and getting positive feedback.

So it came as great surprise when, on the 18th, Cas abruptly spread out full midnight-black-with-blue-overtone wings in the Room of Requirement. Gabriel wasn't surprised.

"What's happening to me?" said Cas in shock. Somehow the wings felt right, but he had no idea why.

"You're like me. But you're really low ranked from the look of those wings. I'm guessing foot soldier," said Gabriel cryptically, looking at his wings (and unknown to Cas his grace). "I suppose the boy-who-lived didn't rank any higher than a foot soldier, or you were the only one they knew would come back."

Cas was in shock. Gabriel hugged his little brother without hesitation, because the poor thing had gone for fourteen years thinking he was nothing more than a human with an abnormally strong psychic gift. Finally Cas felt his brain reboot.

"What does this mean?"

"It means I'm going to find out what the hell happened to your memories. If only so you don't freak out over learning your old abilities. I just wish I knew which one you were..."

Cas could feel himself grow sleepy. He curled into Gabriel's embrace, unaware his grace was rising up and his magic was being pushed into the background. Gabriel noticed though.

One minute he was Cas, the next the angel who had been dormant for years woke up.

Gabriel stared into intense blue eyes. John had told him about this. How Cas would sometimes have black outs when his eyes turned blue and he could take down a demon with no problems. Now he knew why.

The angel was in control, not the human mind it had grown when the memories were lost.

"_Gabriel," _he whispered, before curling closer. Clearly the angel had been terrified not being in control and losing those memories.

"Which one are you, little brother?"

The angel looked at him confused.

"_I have always gone by my own name. Even my human half picked up on it, though he wasn't aware of why."_

Gabriel blinked, before he felt like hitting himself. Of course. Cas _Shields_. Angels were sorely lacking in originality when it came to names, and a human couldn't exactly go around calling themselves God's warriors without being committed. So Gabriel spoke the angel's name for the first time since he left heaven.

"Tell me what happened...Castiel."

And so Castiel told him what little he could remember. How the infant would have been born with just enough life to fool it's parents, but would die because it's soul had gone. How Micheal sent him down to fill that role because of the prophecy. How Voldemort's curse scattered his true memories and the soul piece was removed seven months later.

Gabriel felt sorry for poor Castiel. He really had the worst luck.

"Do you want to stay on Earth, or do you want to go home?" Gabriel asked. He might be able to restore the memories, and it wasn't like Castiel couldn't deal with Voldemort right now. He was strong enough grace-wise that he could kill a soul leech.

"_I...I don't know. Humans are fascinating and I just know when Zachariah finds out what happened he'll force me through re-education at the very least. And I'm the only one who's ever been on Constantine's side without having another agenda..."_ said Castiel. He liked John, a lot. The man was a good soul who had crappy luck.

Gabriel winced at the term re-education. He heard rumors about how the upper level angels forced those below them to undergo a series of torturous lessons to 'remind' them of their status as angels. It never ended well.

"Well there are two options. One, I could restore your memories slowly and we deal with the leech...freeing you to go home."

"_What's the other option?"_ asked Castiel. He wasn't that enthusiastic about returning to heaven with the possibility of undergoing an intense re-education session looming over him.

"Or you stay on earth, we still restore your memories but this time you can tell the higher angels you found me and that I've taken you under my wing. And when they demand my location you tell them that I've ordered you not to tell them," said Gabriel cheerfully.

Castiel clearly preferred that plan, because his hug grew even tighter around the arch angel.

If Gabriel 'took him under his wings' that would mean Micheal couldn't force him to return. Not without convincing his brother to let Castiel go from his garrison. It wasn't unusual for a higher angel to take interest in a lower ranked angel. It just meant they answered to a different angel.

"In the meantime little brother, we might as well finish this tournament. Hopefully we'll find a way to keep your human half, because even I was thrown off from guessing you were an angel with that magic around you," said Gabriel cheerfully.

Castiel could feel himself grow sleepy. Being awake this long when his memories were still missing was exhausting. Gabriel rubbed his back, telling his little brother it was okay to relax. He fell asleep to the sound of Gabriel humming a song from heaven he hadn't heard in over a decade.

* * *

><p><em><strong>May<strong>_

Cas was irritated. Not only did the fake Moody manage to bewitch Krum and hurt Fleur through him, but he also hexed the cup and turned it into a port key.

Cas had barely managed to throw Cedric out of the way of the curse and hiss 'play dead' at him before he was knocked out. Thankfully the other boy took the hint and Pettigrew (how did he escape without anyone knowing anyway?!) ignored him once he was on the ground.

He was bound to an angel statue (oh the irony) and Pettigrew had drawn his blood. Something about the whole situation felt wrong, like the sound of nails on a chalkboard was wrong. He struggled like hell to get out of the angel's embrace, but then the worst happened. Voldemort returned.

Cedric managed to get Cas out of the statue, but something inside Cas demanded he kill Voldemort for using his blood to be reborn. The creature was an abomination.

Voldemort looked at Cas and frowned. He could see a light around his enemy, a light so bright it could eclipse the sun if it grew any stronger. Behind him were the shadows of two massive wings easily big enough to carry the boy.

There was a reason why creatures called angels Bright Ones. It was because they shone like a beacon of light in any darkness, with their wings almost clearly visible in that light. Only humans couldn't see it, because they had closed themselves off from the sight. Or in the case of Gabriel, found a way to hide that light with something almost equally powerful.

"What are you Potter?" he snarled.

This wasn't Cas anymore. The fact Voldemort had stolen _his_ blood to fuel his resurrection had awakened the other side of him. This was Castiel, and he was pissed.

"_Something far beyond what you can deal with, abomination,"_ replied the angel angry.

Suddenly Castiel had his angel blade in hand. Voldemort wasn't the only one staring at it.

Pettigrew tried to stun Castiel with his magic, but he had always been a weak wizard. It barely glanced off his sword. When he tried to get in front of the angel, to block him from attacking his lord with the blade, Castiel killed him without hesitation or remorse.

Death Eaters had arrived by then. They were torn between fleeing at the sight of an avenging angel, and their fear of Voldemort's reaction should he realize they feared 'Harry Potter' more than his wrath.

Castiel managed to deal a glancing blow onto Voldemort, but the man escaped before he could finish him. The Death Eaters fled, more to escape Harry's wrath should he turn to them rather than leave.

Cedric took one look at his eyes and said "You're not Harry are you?"

"_Harry Potter would have died three days after birth from a complication. I was simply sent to insure the body survived long enough to end that abomination permanently. Now that he's used my blood in the ritual, he'll find it very difficult to gain anything more than wizards as allies,"_ said Castiel bluntly. He was in a rather foul mood.

"You're still the same person I've been sharing a house with though right?" asked Cedric finally. It had been a long day. Castiel gave him an odd look.

"_The one you're familiar with is nothing more than a muted version of myself,"_ he replied. And it was true. Cas Shields was more like what little remained of Castiel bleeding through to a human personality.

"Good enough, so long as you don't turn that sword on me. As far as I'm concerned, you dueled him with magic and not whatever that was," said Cedric.

Hufflepuffs stick together. He didn't know who or _what_ Harry Potter was, but that fact never changed. He was still a Hufflepuff who had protected Cedric from being killed because he had been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

When they returned, it was to fanfare and a massive migraine for Castiel. He willingly let himself fall unconscious when he saw Gabriel there. No way would the arch angel let Dumbledore try anything.

* * *

><p><em>One week after the tournament<em>

"So little brother, what do you want to do now?"

Cas looked at Gabriel. The arch angel had restored a little of his memories...enough that he wouldn't freak out over new abilities, but not so much that Castiel would wake up. He remembered part of who he was...what he was...but not all of it because too much caused Cas to be in great pain and Gabriel had to quickly block the memories. Both angels agreed having Cas Shields as a cover for Castiel was a good idea...it kept the demons from realizing what he was.

Much like Gabriel had taken the cover of Loki the Trickster to hide from his brothers, Castiel would become Cas Shields to hide from heaven and hell and everything else in between.

At least now he could hide his true nature from creatures. He was getting sick of them always calling him Bright One, when he had a name!

"I want to continue as Cas Shields. If I graduate from the Vatican no one will look twice at my abilities. They have a special branch for certain magicals that hunt down creatures who kill humans. It would tie in nicely for my abilities and give me additional support without raising suspicion," said Castiel. Now that he remembered a little, he could take control without having to be stuck in the subconscious.

Gabriel snorted. If anyone needed help it was John. The man thrived on pissing people who were much stronger and more experienced than him off.


	6. Vatican Academy for Magic, Year Five

_**Okay, I want to set the record straight. I was NOT expecting Luna to win that poll. As much as I love her character, the fact is the way I've written her would make it very difficult to keep her around. Faeries are notorious for being unable to stand holy ground, and let's face it, Castiel is an angel. Angels let off holy aura like no one's business. And yes, I am slightly bias to a boy/boy pairing, but the fact of the matter is that Luna has faerie blood and being around Castiel would be about as pleasant for her as it was for Dobby being on church grounds. Just thought I would clear the air about that.**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>June<strong>_

It had been a month since the disaster that was the tournament, and Cas had to leave England in a hurry because somehow Dumbledore learned Voldemort was back. He was not getting stuck in England because of that abomination.

Another weird thing was that his wings were slowly changing. Gabriel had been very confused until he realized that for some reason, Castiel was growing another set of wings.

If anyone deserved the upgrade, it was Castiel.

So here he was in the center of the Church's power, protected by the many magical priests and executors who wouldn't hesitate to fight to the death to keep Cas in the Academy.

If Dumbledore wanted to kidnap Cas, he would have to fight for it.

On the plus side, he got a head start on his reading. The Vatican was full of confiscated books from wizards who had run afoul of the church.

Cas was heading to the infirmary for one purpose...to test out his 'healing spells', which were actually his angel powers. Being human for over ten years, Cas learned how to fake things.

In this case, healing magic.

Seeing the healed calf from the Academy barn, Cas smiled. If being human meant he got to enjoy the little things, then maybe being human wasn't as bad as the upper angels made it out to be.

He certainly got to enjoy it more since recovering a small fraction of his memories.

* * *

><p><em><strong>July<strong>_

Cas was officially irritated. At Gabriel that is. The arch angel wanted to know why Cas was growing a second pair of wings, so he hung around more than not.

Well that and as Cas quickly realized, Gabriel was something of a cuddle monster. He took any chance he could to hug the little angel. Cas put up with it because of the feeling Gabriel's grace let off. Like a mischievous child who desperately wanted attention. Which...actually suited the Trickster Loki very well.

Besides, Gabriel fed his gaming addiction. Enough said.

His birthday was coming up in a week, and Gabriel wanted to know where Cas wanted to go for it.

Cas actually wanted to go to Japan, but he wasn't about to vocalize that. It was mostly so he could pick up a few games that wouldn't come out in English for at least another few years. As an angel, he could read and speak any language. It was why he had picked up Italian and Latin so quickly. He already knew them.

Gabriel gave him no warning before he kidnapped Cas for a full two days of being in Japan. It was also the source of Cas' annoyance with his brother, because the pagan-angel had 'accidentally' dumped him in the women's side of the local outdoor hot springs. In full clothes.

"_DAMMIT BROTHER! I WILL KILL YOU FOR THIS!" _Castiel shouted in Japanese, before he got out as fast as he could and started running, doing his best not to look at the naked and scantily clad women.

The second he saw Gabriel, he punched him hard enough to make it hurt.

"Gabriel, I am not actually fifteen and besides, looking at naked women wouldn't be as appealing. In case you've forgotten, I attend a _Catholic_ magical school," hissed Cas.

"Ah, but you never planned to take that stupid chastity vow and I know for a fact you still find looking at the ladies fun. Don't think I wasn't watching you around that faerie girl at the dance," said Gabriel smirking.

"First off, Luna is only half-faerie from what I can tell. Secondly, she's around my physical age and not likely to beat the crap out of me for seeing her that way."

Gabriel had an expression of what could be considered pity.

"You do know that it would never work out between you right? Faeries can't stand holy areas, and we tend to create them the longer we stick around. You would have to move regularly just to keep her around."

Castiel sighed. He knew of that problem...it was why he had Dobby and the Potter elves working in the bunkers where John tended to crash instead of the properties owned by him. It gave them something to do, allowed John a chance to recover without having to shop for groceries or healing potions, and best of all kept his ruse as Cas Shields up. No angel would bother with house elves, what with the holy aura they let off sinking into the ground and making it difficult to keep the brownie spirits.

"Anyway, we might as well have fun! Two whole days of being in the Land of the Rising Sun!" said Gabriel cheerfully.

"You're explaining to my teachers why I went missing for two whole days first," said Cas.

"Spoilsport," said Gabriel pouting.

"I prefer realist. Unless you want me to explain that one of my 'holy' brothers took it upon himself to kidnap me?" asked Castiel raising an eyebrow.

Gabriel winced. He'd never hear the end of it if the Catholics found out Cas knew _the_ Gabriel. Though the idea of telling them God actually didn't have anything against those who liked the same gender they were was tempting. It just wasn't worth the headache he knew he would get.

"Fine, I'll go tell the priests what happened," said Gabriel pouting. He vanished and reappeared ten minutes later.

"Okay, good news I got to them in time to prevent the alarm from going off," said Gabriel.

"Bad news?"

"I might have been seen by one of our brothers when I appeared to your teacher. Wasn't exactly expecting Balthazar to be there," said Gabriel wincing.

To be fair, Balthazar was as shocked to see Gabriel as Gabriel was to spot him. He had only come to earth to check on Castiel, who had moved from the area he should have been until the warlock was killed.

Before Cas could say anything, they heard the fluttering of wings.

"Balthazar," said Gabriel wincing.

"Castiel! What the hell man?"

"Gabriel, you want to field this one?" asked Cas.

"You owe me for this," said Gabriel.

"I won't prank you back for nearly getting me into major trouble," said Cas.

"Done."

Balthazar looked utterly confused at this point.

Gabriel took him aside and explained the situation. And convinced Balthazar to do a little theft for him. In exchange Gabriel would help the other angel fake his death with the host.

Gabriel wanted his horn back.

* * *

><p><em><strong>August<strong>_

Unlike Hogwarts, the Academy started on month early. And they didn't force their students to track down their supplies. It lessened the arguments between the students if everyone had the same quality supplies.

Cas was the man of the hour because he got to skip out the Latin lessons (which were mandatory for obvious reasons) and ended up becoming the teacher's aid until the rest of them caught up to his level. The fact he was occasionally caught reading books with the olde Latin didn't help his bookworm image.

Still, he found the classes here far more interesting than at Hogwarts. At least here he didn't get odd looks because he was openly Catholic...or for his reflexive slap whenever the newbies took the lord's name in vain.

They were lucky he was the one slapping them whenever he caught them at it. The teachers, he knew for a fact, were under orders to do worse than a slap on the head. It was their way of breaking that habit early before they even had a chance to become priests.

Still, Cas would honestly say he preferred their style of teaching to the piss-poor way they did it at Hogwarts. Here they explained why the magic worked like it did, rather than just show them a few times, give them paper homework and hope that the students figured it out on their own. At the Academy, the teachers _engaged_ the students and made sure they understood.

Cas learned more about magic that one month than he ever had from ten lessons at Hogwarts. He couldn't wait to continue his education here!

* * *

><p><em><strong>September<strong>_

Cas watched as a man wearing an oddly familiar crest came into the class. The crest seemed to niggle at the back of his mind. It wasn't until he got a closer look at it that he realized why.

It was written in Enochian, and one of the runes was his own!

"Mr. Shields, these gentlemen would like to talk to you involving your career choice," said one of the teachers. Cas nodded. He would leave with them after class, as was proper. Half an hour later, Cas was taken to a small, empty room. The older of the two spoke first.

"We are members belonging to the Order of the Holy Shield. Our particular sect deals with things the normal branches don't, such as exorcisms, demons and summoning. We've been watching you and did a check on your known associates. Not many would willingly be seen with Constantine or the Pagan Loki. It would close a lot of doors if you continued seeing them with some of the other sects," he told the boy.

Cas sighed, then let Castiel take over. The two from the rather exclusive Order shifted, sensing a change come over the teen and looked shocked when his eyes went from emerald green to the deepest blue.

"_I act as God's Shield against the Darkness, seeking only enlightenment no matter where it may appear. Praise be to the Father,_" said Castiel in perfect Enochian, startling the two priests.

The older one was the first to realize who was before them.

"Castiel. We were unaware you had descended upon our mortal realm again," he said reverently.

Castiel had been to Earth before, but had gone under intensive re-education upon returning because he wasn't afraid to ask the pagans and the creatures for help when he needed it, rather than from the Host. He had mostly stayed near the Vatican, and as a consequence was known as the founder of the Order of the Holy Shield, as a reference to the angel who had started it. It if wasn't for the fact Cas had recognized the emblem on the crest, he wouldn't have even remembered it.

"_Micheal sent me down to Earth to take the place of the Boy-Who-Lived since they realized the child would only be born with a semblance of life that would at best last for three days. The killing curse, unfortunately, scrambled my memories until Loki realized what I was and brought enough of them back that I could stay awake. I doubt they even remember I'm down here at this point,"_ explained Castiel.

The older priest looked reverently at Castiel. Very few people even remembered it was an angel that started their order.

"What would you have us do?"

"_Train my human side in the Order's magic. That should hide my presence a little while longer, seeing as how I have no desire to return to heaven in the near future. Humanity needs a shield to protect it from the increasing darkness. Cas is human and will need all the training he can get so that when we merge, he will not be lost. But don't treat him like an angel unless the eyes turn blue," _said Castiel.

"As you wish," said the older priest. Castiel had allowed his wings out, which had restored the man's faith in God. They would train his human side in magic and the Order's ways while hiding the angel.

Constantine was about to get some very powerful allies in the near future.

* * *

><p><em><strong>October<strong>_

Gabriel popped by near the middle of the month, and whistled when he saw the new patch on Castiel's trench coat.

"Wow little bro, you went and joined some real heavy hitters. Those guys are one of the few sects who aren't afraid to team up with the same monsters they normally hunt, or use black magic," said Gabriel.

Castiel looked at his brother.

"I should hope so, considering I was the one who started this particular sect," he said closing his book. He had the satisfaction of seeing Gabriel nearly choke on his chocolate.

"_You_ started the Order of the Holy Shield?! The most dangerous and controversial sect of the Vatican's magical society?" said Gabriel in shock.

Castiel rolled his eyes.

"Why do you think they call themselves the 'Holy Shield'? And as I recall, there were at least two sects in the church dedicated to _you,_" said Castiel.

Gabriel chuckled.

"Well, I have to admit, you did a good job with these guys. They're like holier versions of Constantine. Even worked with them a time or five," said Gabriel running a hand through his hair.

The Order of the Holy Shield was the least stuck up magical sect he knew of, and more than once they had summoned him asking for information or help. They at least listened when he told them what to do and they weren't afraid to 'dirty' their magic by using pagan methods if it got the job done with the least amount of casualties.

The only reason they hadn't been kicked out of the Church was because despite all the pagan crap they willingly delved in, their faith in God had never been called into question once. In fact they were one of the most dedicated bunch of priest Gabriel had ever met.

"So what are your plans for Halloween?"

"Same as every year. Ignore any feasting and allow Cas to pray for his mortal parents. At least here I won't have to explain politely that I hate the holiday because of what it represents," said Castiel rolling his eyes.

Gabriel winced. Most of Europe seemed to forget that Halloween wasn't a holiday for the Boy-Who-Lived, but a reminder that his parents were targeted by a madman and killed. Add to the fact Cas had been able to see demons without remembering why he had that particular gift, and the entire appeal of the holiday went right out the window.

When Gabriel went to get more candy, leaving Cas to his studies, he slipped into the section given to the Order by the Vatican and privately reminded them of the date and the fact Castiel's mortal parents were killed.

The priests were suitably quiet, before they added the names of the Potters to the wall of the fallen. While they hadn't been part of the Order itself, and the idea of them being faithful to god was questionable at best, the fact of the matter was that Lily and James Potter had selflessly given their lives to insure their son survived. That their son was actually an angel sent to insure Voldemort was killed was a moot point.

Cas was very surprised by this, but glad all the same. Being left alone to grieve for his parents was something he appreciated, since he was never able to do at Hogwarts because for some annoying reason, everyone seemed to forget what the date meant to him. They always tried to cheer him up with sweets he wasn't that interested in. Even Hermione, the daughter of dentists, had tried to get him to cheer up during the holiday with sweets. Sugar-free sweets, but still sweets.

"So how's the studying going?" asked Gabriel.

"Since I remembered who I am, it's more of a refresher. I've mostly been studying the books the Order's collective over the past few centuries since I was last down here," said Castiel.

"Well I've been listening to Angel Radio. Seems like the Host is wondering where Harry Potter went to. I think they forgot you were sent to take his place."

"Wouldn't surprise me in the least that they've forgotten about me," said Castiel bitterly. Gabriel covered Castiel with his wings.

He could understand why Castiel felt bitter. By forgetting they had sent him to Earth, it was said volumes about how much they cared about him. They didn't. The only one who even remembered Castiel existed was _Balthazar_ and he faked his death to LEAVE Heaven!

Though he did return briefly to steal Gabriel's Horn so the arch angel would put him in his garrison in the event they found out he was alive. They couldn't touch him if he was working for Gabriel.

Castiel leaned into Gabriel's wings. It seemed like the only angel who gave a damn about him now was Gabriel.

* * *

><p><em><strong>November<strong>_

Cas was irritated beyond belief. Dumbledore had upped his game trying to bring Cas back to Hogwarts, despite the fact he wanted nothing to do with the school after last year.

Fortunately he had a back up plan. He was funding the twin's pranks and sending Gabriel to harass the teachers. From what he heard in their letters, the extra hand was welcomed because they had a new teacher there that was an absolute _nightmare_.

On the plus side, Sirius had kept him updated on the potential amusement involving Constantine and Tonks. So far, things seemed to be looking good between them. Tonks had recently exorcised a demon on her own while it's friend pinned John to a wall. Once she got over the shock, she was actually a very good aim with her spells. Another big thing was that as Head of the Black family, Sirius had been able to bring Andromeda and Nymphadora back into the family. His mother might have been pissed (Cas really wondered why she had left a portrait behind, but figured she wanted to make Sirius' life hell from beyond the grave) but she quickly changed her tune when she found out Nymphadora was learning the more unsavory arts like blood runes to help Constantine in his jobs.

Nymphadora was actually rather good at what many in the Ministry would classify as a dark art, simply because it used blood.

Constantine had taken her out on a few dates, and so far things in that direction seemed to be looking good. He got someone who understood him and wasn't afraid to get their hands dirty, and Tonks got a job that wouldn't bore her to tears, involved copious amounts of hellish paperwork, and wasn't regulated to death by the Ministry.

Cas wished the couple the best of luck, and went back to reading his school books.

* * *

><p><em><strong>December<strong>_

Cas was enjoying his Christmas more than usual. He had been picked to sing a solo in the yearly carols. His rendition of Amazing Grace had people in tears. He even heard the Pope was there listening!

While in England it was all about the presents, in the Vatican it was about good deeds. Cas played a rather enthusiastic elf passing out food and small items that the homeless and orphaned children would appreciate. Small toys like stuffed bears were handed out to the little ones along with healthy snacks like apples.

You could see Cas' smile from three streets away, and his humming kept the donations coming.

Even Gabriel, who had been there for the actual birth and had spread the word around, got into the spirit by casting an old angel spell meant to bring good fortune. For one single night, all of Vatican City got into the full spirit of Christmas. Sure he snuggled against Cas that night (and Cas nearly got chewed out by the dorm monitor before he explained his relationship with Loki) but that was a small thing.

The priests in charge of teaching the students still couldn't believe that someone who was practically a saint was so close to the pagan god Loki, who was known for his tricks.

They only put up with it because Cas never gave them a reason to throw them out. The only affection Loki ever showed was brotherly more than anything.

Gabriel snuggled up to Cas like a giant teddy bear.

* * *

><p><em><strong>January<strong>_

"Okay, I think we've been understanding long enough. Exactly why is it that Loki keeps showing up to huggle you?" asked Jake, more than a little baffled.

Cas had three options. He could tell them the truth, lie, or go with a half truth. He chose option three.

"Are you aware that certain people have a predisposition towards ascending into full angel status upon their death?" he asked.

Jake blinked.

"Yeah, but what... Oh you have got to be kidding."

"Loki is an angel who went into hiding during the war between Lucifer and Micheal. He keeps showing up because I just happen to have a stronger predisposition than most towards being a fledgeling angel, and it reminds him of home," explained Cas.

"That...explains so much," said Jake. Like why people often considered Cas a freaking saint, or why out of all of them he had the easiest time in class.

"Basically Loki just wants to turn me into his own private teddy bear since he's homesick," said Cas.

"So which angel is he?" asked Jake.

"He doesn't want to say, because when he left Micheal was pretty angry with him."

Micheal was pissed Gabriel left before the final battle, and there was still a standing order to return him to heaven alive. Cas had no doubt they would try to force Gabriel through 'reeducation' if they could. He was, after all, one of the most powerful angels behind Lucifer and Micheal himself. And they would probably send Naomi to do it.

Just the thought of her gave Castiel nightmares.

"So basically an angel is turning you into his own personal teddy bear," Jake summed up. Cas nodded. He snorted, "Figures that out of all things you've run into, the world's biggest prankster would turn out to be an angel in disguise."

"I'll take that as a compliment by the way. You must be Jake~!" said Loki, giving Cas the amusing sight of Jake jumping a good foot from shock.

Jake looked at Cas.

"Do angels always show up without any warning?"

"Usually you hear the sound of a bird flapping loudly. Loki probably did that to startle you," deadpanned Cas.

"Wow...that sounds incredibly...irritating," said Jake.

"The ones still in heaven also have trouble understanding a simple concept like personal space or locked doors," said Gabriel helpfully.

"You're kidding."

"They probably wouldn't understand why a human man would be watching sweaty bodies behind a locked door," continued Gabriel. Jake looked properly mortified at the thought, to his amusement. An unspoken agreement passed between Cas and Gabriel. The two proceeded to tell Jake exactly how bad angels were when it came to privacy and learning when it was inappropriate to enter a room, to his growing horror.

And that was before they got into how bad they were at picking up unspoken queues to drop certain subjects.

Needless to say Cas had great fun teasing Jake with the truth. Even if he was still reluctant to explain the full reason why Gabriel turned him into his own personal teddy bear when he was feeling lonely.

* * *

><p><em><strong>February<strong>_

Cas was twitchy, and it was amusing the hell out of Jake and Gabriel.

"What's got you so ready to bolt?" asked Jake. Gabriel snickered, already knowing why.

"Have you seen the date?"

"The fourteenth...oh. OH!"

"So why's he so twitchy?" asked Mike.

"It's _Valentine's Day_," said Jake grinning evilly.

Cas _hated_ Valentine's Day, mostly because of his stalkers. If there was ever a time he was grateful for leaving Hogwarts, today would be it.

"Oh I wouldn't relax just yet Cassy. Look up," said Gabriel laughing.

The other boys did, and promptly burst out cackling evilly with him. There in the sky were _hundreds_ of owls, all laden with some letter or gift. Cas let out a cry of horror before he bolted for the nearest safe house. Unfortunately Gabriel tackled him with a cackle forcing him to be buried in the stuff. His friends, the traitors, cracked up at the sight of the Cas the saint being buried in love letters and presents.

He already had the present he wanted most from the only girl he liked (Luna Lovegood) so he wanted nothing to do with the others. Though he was slightly shocked to discover some boys had written him notes.

He suspected Draco or the twins were behind that.

"Jerks," growled Cas as he tried to un-bury himself from the owls.

They only cackled.

* * *

><p><em><strong>March<strong>_

Cas fully expected to get his March-cold, as it was known. So it was with great shock that he never caught even a sniffle. At first he thought it was because Castiel was keeping the sickness away, before he realized the real reason.

English weather and a cranky angel do not mix. At all. In the Vatican it was never as muggy or damp as it was in Scotland, so Cas never came down with the cold. Realizing that made him slightly annoyed, but at the same time relieved. He hated catching a cold without fail every year.

So he buckled down and started studying for the OWLs instead. He could take them early, but he fully intended to pass each of them with flying marks.

* * *

><p><em><strong>April<strong>_

Cas was perfectly calm. He went through each test, going above and beyond what the English wizards asked, and left feeling as though he had accomplished something worthwhile.

Even if he felt the history test was a total waste of time, considering Binns never strayed from the goblin rebellion and on rare occasion the giant wars.

As a treat for getting through the tests without falling asleep, Gabriel took him flying. Castiel thoroughly enjoyed flying with his real wings, though he kept the broom on him in the event any humans came too close.

At least he got to have some fun during the Easter holidays, even if his friends (and Gabriel) had way too much fun seeing him dressed up as the Easter Bunny handing out chocolates and small papers with kid-appropriate sections of the bible inside small eggs.

Cas just knew Gabriel had sent tons of pictures of him in rabbit ears and a fluffy black tail to _everyone_.

He got his results almost around the same time they would be testing in England.

He got a perfect 'O' card in every subject, even Divination because he was the one to point out that he had to 'See' something in that crystal ball, but the examiner never said it had to be future events.

He still dropped the subject though, because he preferred John's method of scrying to Trelawny's any day of the week.

He could just _hear_ Hermione's disbelieving shriek when she found out he had gotten a perfect report card.

* * *

><p><em><strong>May<strong>_

"To Cas! For getting out from under the English idiots in the Ministry!" said Jake, holding up his soda.

"Cas!" cheered the other boys. It was one of the rare times Gabriel snuck in soft drinks, considering they couldn't exactly get caught with anything alcoholic until _after_ they graduated.

"To Loki, the coolest pagan we're likely to ever meet!" said Jake.

"To Loki!" they joked. Gabriel grinned at them all.

Cas chuckled himself, because if they knew who Loki really was they would probably be in catatonic shock.

"To getting those stupid final exams over with early, and to free food and drinks!" said Gabriel laughing.

"Here here!"

Cas winced as he got a sudden vision of Sirius in the Ministry, which made no sense.

He managed to excuse himself long enough to call the man, and found that it was likely Voldemort was trying to set up a trap for Cas using a prophecy he only vaguely knew about. Now that they were forewarned, Sirius could call the Aurors in and force Fudge to admit Voldemort was back. That out to be fun.

Cas' next call was to Draco through the games to warn him that he had better tell everyone to leave the country, unless they wanted to be dragged into a war they should have nothing to do with.

By June, there would be a severe reduction of students at Hogwarts as most would transfer out in droves. Especially the children of pure bloods who wanted nothing to do with Voldemort. Muggleborns were pretty much abandoning the school to avoid having to deal with Dumbledore's lies.

To add to that, the goblins would be passing out fliers to the new muggle-raised students explaining they had options.

Hogwarts would be all but abandoned unless they got their head out of their ass, and fast.

Cas only later heard that Fudge was demanding his return the second he found out Voldemort was in fact alive.

The only odd thing was that Cas never told anyone Voldemort was back, and he knew Cedric had kept his mouth shut to avoid mass panic and hysteria. Well that and they didn't want to deal with the Minister discrediting their word just because he was a major coward.

It was yet another reason why Cas was glad to be out of England.

A week later Remus showed up. According to him, Dumbledore had assigned the werewolf to work as a guard now that Voldemort was out in the open again because he was the only one free that wouldn't balk at the large amount of Catholics.

Cas directed the man to the werewolf section of Rome, with the hopes Remus would finally get over his condition and find a nice female wolf girl to settle down with. Rome was, after all, built by the twin werewolves of Godric Gryffindor, Romulus and Remus.


	7. Vatican Academy for Magic, Year Six

**YES PEOPLE, I AM ALIVE! AND I COME BEARING A MASS UPDATE TO MAKE UP FOR THE WAIT!**

**I have had a really, REALLY bad case of luck for a full month. Starting with the car finally giving up the ghost and ending with my mother being in and out of the hospital. On the plus side, my muse has gotten the swift kick in the ass it needed to update some of the older fics. Here's to hoping the rest of the month is better after the mess the last was.**

* * *

><p><em><strong>July<strong>_

"...Explain to me again why I'm now the proud owner of what appears to be a heavily modified and magical Harley?" asked Cas.

"One, brooms are outdated and easily broken. Two, it draws less attention if you drive a motorcycle than it would for you to fly a broom and people are more easily able to dismiss you as figments of their imagination. And three, because motorcycles are infinitely cooler," said Gabriel proudly.

"Not to mention driving a motorcycle with that trench coat would make you look totally bad ass!" said an enthusiastic Nymph.

Nymph and John had officially come out as a couple a week ago. Needless to say Constantine's friends were still ribbing him about having a girlfriend who wouldn't be sent off running because of his...charming...personality. Hard to believe someone like John Constantine had attracted a woman with such a useful gift and bubbly personality. Nymph's standard hair color was bubblegum _pink_ for crying out loud.

Cas was annoyed enough with the fact John was laughing at him to ask "So when's the wedding?" right as John was taking a drink of soda.

John choked a bit on his drink, the fizzy soda going right up his nose to the amusement of everyone, especially his girlfriend.

"Besides, pup, what teenager doesn't want to learn how to drive a motorcycle? I had one when I was your age, but I gave it to Hagrid," said Sirius.

Hagrid still had it too, though Sirius had to do a little tweaking to it before he gave it to the man permanently. There were very few things that could handle the weight of a half-giant, let alone give him room to sit down without squishing anyone. The motorcycle was perfect for him.

Sirius was already looking for a replacement.

"And the fact I have no idea how to drive?" asked Cas.

"I heard your 'friends' are willing to give you lessons," said Gabriel grinning. Cas rolled his eyes. Whenever Gabriel said 'friends' with quotation marks included, he meant the Order.

As it turned out, six members of the Order happened to drive motorcycles and they were more than happy to teach Cas how to drive and maintain one.

He still had no idea how to drive a car though.

* * *

><p><em><strong>August<strong>_

Cas was frowning. He had finished his work early, so he had some time to kill. Naturally that meant he jumped online to kill things.

And like always, a few minutes after he jumped on, _Impala67_ showed up.

Whoever this guy was, he was cussing Cas out pretty good because Cas was finally strong enough to frag the jerk and live after.

_**Impala67**_: WHAT IS WITH YOU AND THOSE PLASMA GRENADES?

_**God'sShield**_: Payback's a bitch.

_**Impala67**_: Christo, you're worse than most the things we hunt!

Cas blinked. A few seconds later he asked carefully...

_**God'sShield**_: Are you a hunter?

_**Impala67**_: what's it to you?

Cas felt like banging his head against something. No wonder he could never find this jerk! Hunters were notorious for moving around a lot!

_**God'sShield**_: no wonder you're an asshole. I should have known you were a bloody hunter from the get-go... John is just as irritating after a case!

_**Impala67**_: wait...you know about hunters?

_**God'sShield**_: considering I'm in training to _be_ a hunter when I graduate, I should bloody hope so! What other use is there for a professional exorcist and demonologist?!

_**Impala67**_: ...they have classes for that sort of thing?

_**God'sShield**_: some of the lesser known sects in the Vatican do. I'm actually part of one called the Order of the Holy Shield. One of the most controversial parts of the Vatican because we're not afraid to ask help from unconventional sources like voodoo priests.

_**Impala67**_: I'm gonna have to ask Bobby about this Order...

A few days later, _Impala67_came back on, and he was rife with questions about the Order. Apparently this Bobby knew about the Order, had even worked with them before. So the fact he had someone his own age to talk to about hunting was a bit of a novelty for him. If as a side effect, he quit killing Cas online, the teen was perfectly happy to answer the questions. Eventually they exchanged e-mail addresses and he finally learned the real name of _Impala67_.

Dean Winchester.

* * *

><p><em><strong>September<strong>_

"So you finally made up with Dean?" asked Jake.

"I wouldn't exactly say made up. I'm still punching him in the face for all the times he fragged me online," said Cas with a straight face. For someone with a saint-like patience, Cas could sure hold one hell of a grudge.

Jake snorted in amusement.

"So have you taken your new toy out for a spin yet?"

"I might be able to drive it without crashing next week," said Cas.

Thanks to the stabilizing charms (Gabriel basically copied all the same charms off his broom and just put them on the bike) he didn't have to worry about balancing as much. While he was able to fly the bike in the clouds no problem, driving it on land was proving to be a tricky endeavor. Primarily because Castiel had never needed to drive anywhere. Most angels felt vehicles were too slow.

The Order found it hilarious to watch Cas learn the hard way how to ride a motorcycle, and were just glad he had no inclination to learn how to drive a car. With how many crashes he had using the magical equivalent of a simulator, the idea of him behind the wheel was quite frankly terrifying.

"Well let us know when you finally take it out for a drive, so we can watch and laugh," said Jake.

"You're a real friend, you know that?" said Cas sarcastically.

Jake snickered. If there was one thing that amused him, it was the fact Cas had picked up Constantine's sarcastic wit and Loki's regard for the rules when it came to pranks.

"But seriously though, let us know when you're finally going to drive that bike," said Jake.

Cas stuck his tongue out at his friend.

_One week later_

If Cas was irritated at his friends before, it was nothing compared to the signs they were now holding saying 'TRY NOT TO CRASH!' and 'WATCH OUT FOR TURNS!'. Gabriel of course thought it hilarious, and had come to watch the spectacle. Cas hit him with a stinging hex laced with his grace just out of spite.

Gabriel let out a satisfying yelp when it hit.

He took a deep breath, started up his bike and just started driving. Once he got over the shock of being on the thing, it wasn't that bad. Sure the roads were a bit bumpy and it was somewhat nerve-wracking having to follow the insanity that was the muggle traffic laws, but all in all it was somewhat fun.

Fortunately Cas learned how to drive the thing while flying, which was easier on him...even if it took weeks before the Order figured out how to pull it off. When they did, it took Cas a week to learn how to drive without crashing once, and another to memorize the traffic laws. Because he was magical, he didn't need to renew his license like everyone else, or get a new one every time he left the country.

Magicals just needed to know how to drive like normal people, obey most of the laws, and agree not to start any high speed chases with the local authorities without a damn good reason. It was much easier. Another perk was because he was part of the Order, things like passport's were now a thing of the past, so long as he avoided catching anything and bringing them across borders.

An hour later Cas drove the bike easily into the stall with his name. Riding was fun, but he preferred flying above the clouds. Less restrictions and he didn't have to worry about things like traffic lights or insane tourists.

"Aw man, and here I was hoping you'd crash at least once," said Jake with good humor. Cas leveled a _Look_ at him. Jake gulped, correctly interpreting it as 'watch out when you fall asleep tonight'. Cas was evil when he was in the mood to prank.

He blamed Loki for that.

Later that night Jake woke up with a yelp upon realizing he had somehow wet the bed, a bowl of water next to him and his hand inside it. Cas was a fan of the old classics. Jake could only hope some of the liquid was water spilled from the bowl.

* * *

><p><em><strong>October<strong>_

Cas was somewhat amused when shortly before his annual day of mourning for his mortal parents, he got an e-mail from an American hunter named Robert Singer. It didn't take him much to guess this was the mysterious Bobby Dean had spoken of.

Apparently Bobby wanted to trade information with him, since he had confirmed there was a 'Cas Shields' who was part of the Order for Dean. Cas read all his questions and sent an answer back. Most of them were pretty standard for confirming the other party actually knew what they were doing and wasn't someone pretending to be a hunter.

For some odd reason, there was the occasional idiot who joined the game and tried to interfere with actual hunts. The serious hunters had to come up with questions to filter out the fakes to avoid having to deal with the greenhorns who could get them killed.

The next thing he knew, Bobby was sending him information in hopes Cas or the Order could narrow down what they were dealing with faster. It wasn't uncommon for them to throw ideas back and forth until they narrowed down what it was in an hour.

At the very least Bobby kept him distracted so he didn't get too deep into mourning his mortal parents. Gabriel made sure to send the man a nice bottle of old whiskey as a thank you for keeping Cas distracted on Halloween.

* * *

><p><em><strong>November<strong>_

"I heard from a little birdie that the Queen of England has about had it with Dumbledore and his pacifist views. The Order might be called in to drag the wizards back into reality and deal with the Death Eaters," said Gabriel.

Upon learning 'Harry Potter' wanted nothing to do with stopping Voldemort or Dumbledore, the dark lord had finally gone on a rampage. The only reason the Queen survived was because her personal wizards had obliterated the opposition, giving them time to evacuate the palace. The 'Order of the Phoenix', which was Dumbledore's answer to the Death Eaters, had come in an hour too late to do more than help mop up the left overs. The Queen was not pleased by this...and she was even less happy upon learning their methods of dealing with the threat primarily involved stunners and non-lethal tactics.

She was a firm believer that force such as the one the Death Eaters brought should be met with equal or greater response. None of her wizards had gone the pacifist's way out, but had killed any they came across who dared turn their wand on the royal family.

Besides, John had already left for America to visit an old friend of his and taking his girlfriend and Chas with him. Cas' only comment about that was to send him an invitation to the wedding or else.

John still sputtered when that was brought up. So naturally Chas made a point of asking it every time he got sick of seeing John and Nymph get too lovey-dovey for him to take.

"Oh joy. I hate English weather, so remind me _why_ I would want to go back and deal with that?"

"Because you already took those NEWTs a year early and still passed with a perfect score?" said Gabriel easily.

Cas rolled his eyes. Because he was so far ahead in remembering his lessons on how to hunt and exorcise, he had read ahead in his magical schooling. Out of boredom he took the NEWTs a year early and to no one's surprise passed them with a perfect score. Eidetic memory and remembering some of his true nature certainly came in handy.

"I'm starting to realize why you're so dangerous when bored," complained Cas.

"Well you could always try for the animagus transformation. I'm the only other angel who's ever bothered to mess with animal forms," said Gabriel shrugging. The tale of how Loki got pregnant as a horse wasn't exactly _too_ far off, but what was missing from the story was the fact Gabriel had been a unicorn at the time.

Cas perked up. Turning into an animal did sound more appealing than being bored out of his mind. Aside from the random hunts he went on with the Order, he was slowly being driven insane from nothing to do.

Gabriel talked Cas through the process. Unlike humans, angels didn't exactly _need_ the potions or spells to force the initial transformation. They just needed to clear their head and let it happen.

One minute there was a black-haired, green and blue eyed teenager sitting with his legs crossed, the next there was a large raven-black bird with long tail and sharp talons. Gabriel stared.

"A black phoenix, really? I would have pegged you as some sort of cat, or maybe a dog."

The bird trilled in question, so Gabriel snapped up a mirror for him to see. Cas the phoenix examined his animal form, turning this way and that to look at the feathers.

It took little time for him to start flying around the room and landing on Gabriel's shoulder. He was used to having wings after all.

It was when he was on Gabriel's shoulder that the arch angel noticed something interesting.

"Dude, you have _four_ wings. I wonder if your angel form is bleeding through," said Gabriel in surprised amusement.

Cas trilled in interest, trying to spot the extra set of wings. For someone who started out as one of the lowest foot soldiers, being granted an extra set of wings was a big deal.

The more wings and stronger the grace you had, the less angels like Zachariah could boss you around. He wasn't going to question his good luck.

Gabriel however was wondering if this was a side effect of Castiel taking a magical vessel and merging his grace with his abnormally large magical core, or if this was hint from dear old Dad that he was doing the right thing by exercising his free will. At this point it was a 50-50 either way.

"Have you seen Cas?" asked Jake. Now that class was over he wanted to bug Cas in order to borrow his DVD player. Gabriel pointed at the bird on his shoulder.

"He finally got bored enough to try for the animagus transformation?" guessed Jake. Gabriel nodded. "So what is he?"

"Far as I can tell, a four-winged phoenix. No idea what his powers are though."

Each variety of phoenix had a different specialty. Fawkes, for example, was a standard phoenix who could heal, transport in flames and rally people with his song. All in all, a rather common bird.

"There's more than one type?" said Jake owlishly.

"There's like five, not including the common phoenix," Gabriel informed him.

Cas trilled and took flight, giving Jake a good look at his four wings. The second pair looked somewhat stunted for some reason.

"Why is one pair way smaller than the other?"

"They're not fully grown in. I think he has to either get a boost or do something to properly earn the second set," said Gabriel offhand. Which more or less lead credence to the idea that it was God who gave Castiel the second set, but that he hadn't fully earned them just yet. They were pretty useless at this point.

"Cool. Anyway I came to borrow Cas' DVD player. Someone just got some new anime DVDs and we're eager to have a movie marathon."

Cas immediately shifted back to human.

"Count me in. What's the series?"

"_D. N. Angel_. Supposed to be a romantic comedy about a fourteen year old who can switch places with this four hundred year old spirit that takes control every time he has feelings of love for the girl he's crushing on. Thing is that the transformation spell works both ways, and the spirit is a total ladies man with an evil alter ego that lives inside a rival clan. I heard it was fun, but nothing that would get the dorm monitors on our case," said Jake.

"Sounds interesting. I'll bring the popcorn!" said Gabriel grinning.

Jake grinned.

During a small intermission for bathroom breaks, Jake brought up an idea for Cas to consider since he was pretty much done with magical schooling anyway. The Order of the Holy Shield was more or less an independent contract group that sent out members on their own for months, if not years at a time, barring incidents that required more force and back up.

Basically they were priests without borders, sent out into the world to smite those that would do harm and keep humanity safe from evil. At least that was the concept Castiel had come up with since there were already several different sects of the Vatican that sent out priest/exorcists on a case-by-case basis that always had to return home.

The only real nuisance was coming up for a cover for why they were there without attracting attention, something that would be difficult for Cas because of his age.

"Dude, have you ever considered starting a band with you as lead singer and guitarist? No one would question you then," suggested Jake, popping the top of another soda. Gabriel was able to produce an unlimited supply of the stuff during their breaks, so he was officially the priests-in-training's favorite angel. Cas had little doubt if he told them his real name, they would be dedicating more than a few prayers to him and not Micheal.

The stronger the belief angels received, the more grace they could take in. It was part of the reason why Castiel was one of the weaker angels...very few people outside of his Order even knew his name.

"What would he call himself though?" asked Mike.

"How about Castiel, the Shield of God?" said Gabriel cheekily.

Cas rolled his eyes. Gabriel was rarely (if he ever had been) subtle. He reflexively slapped Gabriel on the head.

"Castiel? Never heard of that one," said Jake.

They had to read a list of angels, and Castiel was one he didn't recognize.

"He's not very well known, but he's the angel who initially started the Order of the Holy Shield. They were practically named after him, because humans can't exactly go around calling themselves the 'Shield of God'. He's also Cassy's favorite angel," said Gabriel with a straight face.

Cas felt like slapping Gabriel again, but instead went to get a much older book with the names of _all_ the angels.

"He's under Micheal, in one of the foot soldier ranks," said Cas, "Though I did hear a rumor he's switched choirs recently."

Two could play at this game.

Jake read a description of Castiel. He whistled impressed.

"Sounds like this angel at least tries to understand humans and doesn't hesitate to protect them. My kind of angel."

Castiel and Gabriel very carefully managed not to choke on their laughter. If he was impressed by someone like Castiel, then heaven only knew how he would react to the real description of _Gabriel._

* * *

><p><em><strong>December<strong>_

Gabriel couldn't help it. He took one look at Cas and he started howling with laughter. He was literally on the floor laughing his ass off, and Jake wasn't that far behind.

"Keep laughing, and I'll drag you into this year's caroling," said Cas annoyed. It wasn't _that_ funny.

"Dude, you're wearing fluffy _angel_ wings! They aren't even the right color!" cackling Gabriel.

Cas was in a costume that humans believed angels looked like. Fluffy wings, halo and a white dress. So naturally Gabriel thought this was absolutely hilarious.

"Hold on, I have to send this to everyone!" Gabriel cracked up.

He could just see Constantine cracking a rib once he saw this.

Cas growled, and hissed something under his breath. Gabriel felt the spell hit but didn't know what was going on until he realized Jake had broken into a fresh peal of laughter.

"Okay, I'll bite. What did you do?" asked Gabriel.

Cas pointed at the mirror.

"Oh you little..."

He was in his own angel costume, except his had six massive gold wings that were half as long as he was tall. Pretty much his own wings given form in a way that wouldn't burn the eyes out of humans.

"Fair's fair. If I have to deal with the ribbing everyone else will give me for this, you have to deal with everyone seeing those," said Cas smugly.

Gabriel's eyes glinted.

"Well played little bro, well played."

Once again, the Christmas singing was a hit. Everyone was in angel costumes (Cas managed to convince the bishop in charge of the choir to let him wear raven black wings) including a slightly amused Gabriel. Once the yearly pageant was over, Cas dragged Gabriel all over Vatican city to sing more carols to generate donations for whichever part of the church that group was in charge of.

In Cas' case, it was the Order. Since their five-year assessment was coming up, they would need a little extra cash just in case the budget was cut. The competition for funds among the secret sects was cutthroat, and the Order had been dropping in recent years. They needed this just to stay afloat. If worse came to worse, Cas would donate some of his funds.

Gabriel was an instant hit with his six wings, and he found it hilarious that no one figured it out he was a real angel.

And once again, a little angel spell insured that all of Vatican City would enjoy a peaceful, harmonious Christmas.

* * *

><p><em><strong>January<strong>_

Cas was waiting for the assessors of the Vatican to come by for the Order.

The bishop looked through the supplies, the training regiment, the budget they had for the past five years...everything.

"Well it seems you're more organized than last time. Though the membership has gone down. The only new recruit I see on this roster is the Shields boy," said the bishop.

Cas waited for the verdict.

"Your service is indeed needed, however if you don't bring the recruitment numbers up by next assessment I'll have to shut you down," said the Bishop, "As it is, expect a budget cut unless you can bring your numbers up by next year."

Cas spoke up.

"Do they have to be priests?" he asked.

The bishop blinked.

"They have to be willing to associate with the Church and donate membership fees," he answered.

"We can work with that," said Cas, already thinking of a simple way to boost numbers without having to do any serious recruiting.

Father Mark looked to Cas.

"Okay, what do you have planned?"

"How many hunters disguise themselves as priests?" said Cas smirking. "All we have to do is give them a little legitimacy in exchange for boosting our numbers."

"And since most of what they do falls in line with our practices, no one will look twice at it," said Father Mark, grinning.

"I'm betting they would be more than happy to pay a decent membership fee in exchange for them not having to worry about being dragged off by cops for impersonating a priest," said Cas.

"You get on the phones with any hunters you know and explain the requirements for becoming part-time members of the Order. We'll get to work figuring out what to put into the standard packages to give to those that agree to this."

Boosting their numbers with part-time members was a simple (and highly effective) way to get the other sects from trying to shut them down. As full-time members (like Cas and the current Order) were directly associated with the church, hunters couldn't afford that luxury. Getting back up from the Order in exchange for boosting their membership was a small price to pay.

Well, that and the Order would supply free holy water on demand since it if was made by a man of faith it was generally more effective than home-made.

* * *

><p><em><strong>February<strong>_

Cas was twitchy. His plan was working, but as a consequence they had to travel in order to prove they were an actual group from the Vatican. While this wasn't going to effect his schooling, it did mean he had a higher risk of running into the bane of his existence.

The dreaded Fan Girl.

It still amused Gabriel to no end that Cas had such a massive fan base of both men and women. The trench coat, gravelly voice, and even his now mismatched eyes seemed to attract admires like flies to honey.

Consequently his second least favorite holiday would forever be Valentine's Day.

"Come on Cas, lighten up," said Father Henry.

"Let's see you lighten up with a ravenous horde out for your soul every bloody year," muttered Cas.

The priests all chuckled. The massive amount of love letters Cas had gotten last year had become legendary thanks to Gabriel informing them it happened _every year_. It was on par with his singing!

Cas almost let his guard down...right up until a massive swarm of letters descended upon the church the group was staying at, burying him in parchment and gifts. Cas literally couldn't move, and he was wondering why these people kept sending him love letters when they haven't seen him in over two years.

He would later learn it was Gabriel's fault, and proceed to hex the living hell out of his older brother.

He still liked Luna's gift the best though, and wished that they could be together without her bloodline causing her problems.

* * *

><p><em><strong>March<strong>_

"ACHOO!"

"Bless you," said Father Henry.

"Remind me again why we're in a state known for it's torrential downpours?" said Cas groggily, already feeling the familiar effects of his March Cold. The medicine had yet to kick in, and he was already miserable.

Why oh why had he chosen to go with Father Henry's group instead of joining Father Erin? At least Erin was in an arid climate, so the odds of him catching a cold dropped!

However all of Cas' sour mood went away the second he spotted someone he had been wanting to meet for years now.

The moment his eyes locked onto Dean Winchester, he took three quick steps before he threw a very painful right cross, breaking the teen's nose.

"OW! What the hell man?! I thought you were on our side?" said Dean, holding his bloody nose. His brother looked somewhat amused.

"That is for the five hundred and fifty-seven times you've fragged me, the three hundred and four times you've shot me in the back and the thirty times you've danced over my corpse online," he stated flatly.

The youngest Winchester stared, before he started laughing.

"Damn Dean, your online friend knows how to hold one hell of a grudge for someone studying to be a priest!" laughed his brother.

"Exorcist, not priest. Becoming a priest is considered a side note to full time members of the Order," corrected Cas.

"Seriously?" said Dean.

"Full time members are considered priests, but we don't have to perform the same duties. All the Vatican really cares about is that we maintain our faith and don't bring bad press with our actions. Giving us the label just makes it easier for us to operate in public."

"So what's this whole part-time membership thing about?" asked John Winchester.

"Here's the deal. The membership numbers in our Order are low enough that the Vatican is seriously considering cutting our budget if we don't do something within the next year. However adding part-time members is considered acceptable so long as you don't commit crimes that get publicized while using our name. And as I recall, pretending to be priests is considered a very effective tactic hunters use to get information," said Cas bluntly.

The younger brother caught onto it first.

"You want to use hunters to keep them from cutting your budget while giving us a legitimate cover for us to use."

"It's a win-win for both sides. All you have to do is sign a waiver, pay a membership fee and we'll send a package to whichever information area you use the most along with an unlimited supply of super-charged holy water. We boost the numbers, you get a legit cover and back up for the tougher cases, and the best part is that we can share information. It's a very profitable exchange for everyone," said Cas.

"And what about those who aren't Catholic?" asked Dean.

"The Order of the Holy Shield is known for working outside the faith. Those who don't share the same god get labeled as 'consultants' who just happen to pay a membership fee. We've worked with Voodoo witchdoctors, Muslims, Jews, and even a few pagans before. Our group is one of the more tolerant ones in the Church, and it's earned us quite a bit of dislike among the more strict sects," said Father Henry.

The fact they were willing to team up with Constantine had earned them quite a few enemies among the more popular groups. They didn't care about the opinions of the more stuck up sects...all they cared about was getting the job done with the smallest number of casualties.

It was also why Cas' first thought when it came to boosting numbers was including hunters into the equation.

Father Henry ironed out the details, including what was inside the packages. John Winchester was rather impressed at how thorough they were. The Order didn't skimp out when it came to outfitting their people. Even if they weren't full time members like Cas and Father Henry.

The younger Winchester (who's name turned out to be Sam) went aside with Cas and Dean.

"So did you really punch him just because he kept killing you online?" asked Sam curious.

"It was very irritating. Every time I logged on, either a few seconds or minutes would pass and he would show up and kill me. You have no idea how frustrating it was trying to complete quests when some asshole named _Impala67_ shows up, guns you down, and then proceeds to do some obscene victory dance over your corpse," said Cas flatly, glaring at Dean.

"Dude, it was only one time!"

"Try ten, and that's not counting the tea-bagging," he said with a growl. Sam made a face at his brother.

"Seriously Dean?"

"I kept hitting the wrong buttons! I only meant to squat and steal his loot!"

"Give me one reason why I can't punch you again for that?" said Cas. Dean turned pale, because that last punch hurt like a bitch.

"I like you. You don't take any of Dean's shit," said Sam grinning.

"I could give you my e-mail address. I'm afraid my phone number is long distance," offered Cas. Sam was infinitely less irritating than Dean, and he hadn't killed him repeatedly online.

John set up a payment plan for the 'membership' fee for him and Dean. Sam wasn't old enough to pull a priest act just yet. A thousand dollars per person was pretty steep for a hunter who didn't make money legitimately.

Sam was just glad he had someone his own age to talk to that wouldn't focus _just_ on hunting.

* * *

><p><em><strong>April<strong>_

Cas stared at the dazed blond. Luna stared back.

"Explain to me again how the hell you tracked me down?" he asked finally.

"Loki."

"And he did explain the problem with us dating or seeing each other for any significant amount of time?" asked Cas.

"He mentioned that you were a Bright One, but he also said that we could still meet each other every once in a while and catch up without too much difficulty," said Luna brightly.

Cas pinched his nose. Of course Gabriel's answer to the problem with Luna's faerie blood acting negatively to his angel side was a long distance relationship.

"Basically his suggestion is that we act like two ships in the night, only occasionally meeting," said Cas. Luna nodded brightly. "And you're okay with this?"

"Hufflepuffs are all about loyalty. So long as you don't go seeing other girls without informing me first, I don't mind. Besides, it lets me search for Crumple-Horned Snorkacks without having to worry," Luna replied.

Cas sighed.

"I'm willing to give this idea a shot if you are. But if you ever change your mind and find someone else, be sure to invite me to the wedding," said Cas finally. Frankly it was an idea that might work. Possibly.

Luna beamed at him.

* * *

><p><em><strong>May<strong>_

Cas was in the library when he felt a chill go down his back. Something terrible had happened, but he didn't know what until after dinner.

"Riddle attack St. Christopher's. It took the Order of the Phoenix three hours to get there, and by the time they did Father Rick had already maimed most of them with that gun you gave him and cursed the rest. They were all arrested and their wands were snapped by the priest before the cops got there," said Gabriel solemnly.

"Is everyone alright?" asked Cas, horrified and furious.

"I personally warded that place after I first met you. They're fine, but shaken. We're still not sure if he went after the church because it's where you call home, or if it was because the Father is a first gen who's a devout Catholic."

"Either way, Riddle is a dead man once I get my hands on him," snarled Cas.

He could ignore the fact Tom Riddle had targeted him all those years ago, or the fact he kept harassing Dumbledore and the idiots in the Order of the Phoenix. But the warlock crossed the line when he targeted a church Castiel could honestly call home.

It was past time they took the fight to the Death Eaters and cleaned house once and for all.


	8. End of the WarAscension to Arch Angel

_**June**_

It took little convincing from Cas to the Vatican Accounting Department (who many swore were unholy demons who somehow found a way to tolerate holy ground and blessed items) to fund a full assault on the warlock and his lackeys. Apparently the Church took the attack on St. Christopher's orphanage as personally as he did.

(Actually it was because Cas was extremely popular in the Vatican, and they had been needing a reason to go after Riddle anyway.)

Which meant the full force behind the Order of the Holy Shield was loaded up and flying back to England to deal with the Death Eaters once and for all. Cas was just relieved they wouldn't have to deal with the idiots belonging to the Order of the Phoenix except in passing.

Dumbledore's pacifist ways weren't going to cut it anymore.

* * *

><p><em><strong>July<strong>_

Their first attack on the Death Eaters came around the same time Cas turned seventeen.

Cas did send a letter of apology to Draco and Narcissa about the damage done to the Malfoy Manor...and to Lucius. Narcissa sent a flippant reply stating the man had done something to warrant the loss of his right hand at some point, and that they were tired of the weather in England anyway. They were currently living on one of many islands owned by the Black Family, with the blessings of Sirius.

If giving them one of the tropical islands kept them from joining Voldemort, then he would gladly hand it over. Besides, this way Narcissa had a chance to find someone to replace Lucius, who was scheduled to be hanged.

The Queen was more than happy to insure these Death Eaters got exactly was was coming to them, so they were putting anyone the Order caught or left alive on trial. If they were forced through the 'imperius' curse, then they were given leniency. If they did it because they believed in the crap Tom Riddle spewed, then they were hanged without question.

It was long past time to clean house.

Cas aimed his shotgun at a nearby Death Eater and shattered the man's kneecap in a smooth motion. Where the Order of the Phoenix preferred to use stunners and non-lethal spells, the Order of the Holy Shield was all about taking the terrorists down hard, fast and preferably in a way that would make them think twice about attacking innocents.

Father Rick had left the orphans in charge of the more trustworthy members of the Order while he joined in on the fight. He had been part of the military before he dedicated himself to the Church. It was one of the few careers available to first generations straight out of Hogwarts without needing any prior education.

He wasn't about to let one of his flock fight in a war without helping. Even if it meant he would have to put aside his vow of non-violence for a short time.

The sound of shots rang across the English countryside, and each Death Eater was stripped, given enough medical care to survive the port key to the dungeons and a basic trial, and just for good measure, their magic was bound. The Queen's men had the counter spell, but these fools wouldn't be able to use their gift to get out of justice this time around.

Cas was just glad that they had taken out the current 'Minister for Magic' during this raid. That meant the Ministry wouldn't be able to interfere and get good men and women hurt because of their stupidity.

* * *

><p><em><strong>August<strong>_

Father Rick was grinning. There was no other word for it.

"Will you quit smiling like that? It's creeping me out!" said Cas with a bit of a whine.

"Sorry, it's just I never thought I'd see the day you finally got yourself a girlfriend," said Father Rick.

Cas growled. It was bad enough John, Sirius, Remus _and_ Gabriel ribbed him about dating Luna Lovegood, but he didn't want the man he practically considered his father doing it too!

"Do I look stupid enough to take a vow of chastity when I'm still a teenager? That thing causes more problems than it solves!"

Father Rick let out a careless cackle. He had to admit, that particular vow would cause problems for a hormonal teenager, which Cas still was even if he acted more mature than Constantine did at times.

"So do you have a picture?" asked Father Rick.

Cas grudgingly handed over a picture of him with Luna. It was taken shortly before she left for Japan.

"Pretty girl, but then you always did attract the ladies even as a lad. So, why isn't she here then?"

Cas winced. Father Rick didn't miss it.

"There's a slight...issue...with her dating me."

"Religious or..."

"She's half faerie, and I practically live on holy ground. Worse yet is that my magic can turn normal land into a holy area which faeries have difficulty even going into, let alone living on," explained Cas.

Father Rick winced. It was a well known fact in Europe that the fair folk couldn't stand holy items like crosses or religious icons, let alone things like iron and salt. And with how Catholic Cas was, it would cause problems if he had a faerie girlfriend, even if she was half-human.

"So how do you plan on resolving this issue?"

"Long distance relationship," said Cas immediately. Father Rick blinked.

"Say what?"

"Luna has the faerie Sight, and she's always out looking for creatures that don't exist. I'm showing trust in her by letting her explore the world and hopefully scheduling days when we can meet in person. She's well versed in how to use a computer with a camera, so it's not like we won't stay in touch, and short visits together solves the holy area problem. Plus she knows she can trust me because of the house I was sorted in first year. Hufflepuffs are known for their loyalty, it's what the house is based upon...well that and a very good work ethic," said Cas.

"And you're showing your trust in her by not smothering her," said Father Rick. It was a good plan, and it solved a few problems. Though it was rare for such a relationship to work out.

Cas hoped Father Rick would drop it, until his next question had him choking on his soft drink.

"So if you got her pregnant would you do right by her?"

Cas was very, very glad Gabriel and John weren't around to hear that. He never would have heard the end of it.

"If that happened I would pay for her and the child. But considering the career I chose, it would be best if I didn't get too close to either of them."

Father Rick nodded. A professional exorcist would attract a lot of enemies both above hell and below it. Keeping his distance was a well used way to keep extended family (or lovers) safe. But the fact Cas would be sure to keep his girl well-funded was an acceptable compromise.

"Can we drop it now?"

"I suppose we should get back to prepping our assault on the Ministry. I want to see what this prophecy I've heard so much about says," said Father Rick.

* * *

><p><em><strong>September<strong>_

The assault on the Ministry took place during the time most Ministry workers would be either out to lunch or taking their children to Hogwarts for another year. Most of the Aurors had been called to guard the train from attack, unaware that Cas had sent a challenge to Riddle stating that they would be clearing out the Ministry itself, giving the warlock a chance to wipe them out in one attack. It also kept him from going after the train.

What Riddle wasn't expecting was reinforcements courtesy of the British Army. The Queen wasn't happy with having to call in outside help (even if the one leading it was British by birth), so Cas made an easy compromise. If they needed help, he would call on the soldiers in Her army who needed a target.

All they had to hear was that the monster who wanted to recreate Hitler's reign of terror on British soil needed killing, and that the priests would be more than happy to share the kills and they were in.

Cas took vindictive pleasure in knowing that snipers were taking out any idiot that walked around under a spell trying to break in through the mundane entrance. They had forcibly shut down the floo, there were anti-apparition and port key spells that kept people from breaking into the place before they had a chance to shoot them.

Father Rick took the short period of time to ask a question that had been bugging him since John told him what Cas really was.

"So what's it like. Heaven I mean," asked Father Rick.

Cas paused, before he really thought about the best thing he could compare to Heaven.

"For humans it's like you're in your favorite memories, or your idea of heaven. At least, so I've heard. For angels it's like living in the _Dilbert_ comic strip, where Micheal is the pointy-headed boss, several seraphs are like Catburt, and the average angel are the engineers," said Cas finally.

"You've been reading those comics again."

"Well there is one seraph who reminds me of either the boss or Catbert, but I haven't figured out which one he fits best yet," admitted Cas.

"Zachariah, right?" said Gabriel.

"Exactly," said Cas.

"I'd label him the boss. There's this one crossroads demon who fits Catbert better than he does, though I'm sure the Vatican Accounting department is pretty much like the one in the strip," said Gabriel with a straight face.

"This coming from Dogbert himself," said Cas.

"I love that guy!" said Gabriel grinning.

"...So heaven is like the _Dilbert_ comics?"

"And _Garfield._ Can't go wrong with Garfield," said Gabriel.

Father Rick was wondering if changing religion was an option at this point, before he discarded it. On the plus side, he at least knew that some angels did in fact have a sense of humor.

"Speaking of comics, look what I ran into at the bookstore!" said Gabriel, handing Cas a thin book.

"_Shield of God_, volume one. What's this about?" asked Cas.

"Just read it. Or better yet, look at who came up with the story line," said Gabriel with a shit-eating grin.

Cas did, and Castiel took over.

"You have got to be joking. Why would _he_ be writing about..."

"No idea, but the minute I realized who created the story I about died laughing. I mean really, who would expect the current Prophet to see _you_ of all people?" said Gabriel.

It was a pretty standard size for a comic, and after a few pages Castiel felt a headache coming on. Why oh why did Chuck Shurley feel the need to focus on him with the powers he was granted from Heaven? Or better yet, why in God's name did he use Castiel's bad luck with magic as a way to make money?!

_Shield of God_ was pretty much the comic book version of his life, particularly the point _after_ John Constantine started training him. When he looked it up later, he found that it was already had a cult following.

Castiel could only feel a major headache coming on. He sent a thank you to his Father when the Death Eaters started showing up, if only so he could work out some of his migraine on _them_.

* * *

><p><em><strong>October<strong>_

"I don't know which is worse. Halloween or having to head to the palace for tea," said Cas twitching. John sniggered. He couldn't help it.

"Come on Cas, it'll be...okay I can't do this with a straight face," said John laughing.

Cas was dressed in a full priest's outfit (considering it was the most formal he ever got since graduating a year early) and stuck in an uncomfortable pair of shoes. He normally wore the first pair he found that fit in a store. He didn't care about appearances.

However when the Queen asked him to come to the palace to discuss the ongoing efforts to clean house (seeing as he was the only Brit in the entire team outside of Constantine who Cas dragged along) he had no choice but to agree.

So here he was, in his best outfit and shoes he had never worn before, stuck in a setting he absolutely hated. He would rather be cleaning the gun rack than in some formal setting.

John however, wasn't of noble blood and therefor got to avoid most of this mess.

"I hate you so much right now. I hope you realize that," said Cas.

John sniggered.

"Hey, I'm not the one who ended up in a noble's kid and forgot!"

Cas suddenly remembered something.

"Wait, didn't Sirius bring Andromeda and the others back into the Black family?"

"A couple years ago why?"

"And isn't she planning for a spring wedding, once this mess is over with?" asked Cas, a slow, evil idea in his head. John winced.

"I wouldn't know the first thing about plannin' a wedding and how could I possibly justify bringing a kid into the mess I'm usually in?"

Cas looked at him.

"I know, I know. With how active we are it's just a matter of time. But what's your point?"

"Ancient and _noble_ house of Black. That's my point. Once you get hitched to Nymph, I'll drag you into every single function for nobility and force you to dress up with me," said Cas vindictively.

John's mouth opened and closed as a slow realization of dawning horror began to fill his bones.

"You wouldn't."

"Oh yes, I would."

"You absolutely suck sometimes Cas. Though considering what your brothers are like..." said John. Cas winced.

"Yeah. At least I know what it means to loosen up."

"Look at the bright side," said Cas.

"There's a bright side to what could only be hell for someone like me?" asked John.

"You'll always know your girl will be the hottest woman in the room without fail?"

John perked up at that. Dating a shifter had it's perks.

"She's ready for you," said some random butler.

The two of them winced. This was going to be awkward beyond belief.

* * *

><p><em><strong>November<strong>_

There was no other word for it. The Order of the Holy Shield was insane. At least, that was what those who weren't from Britain thought when they heard of Cas' plan for Guy Fawkes day.

How many other people would seriously consider blowing up an enemy stronghold as a way to celebrate a holiday based on an attempt to destroy a government building?

Fortunately Cas knew how to describe the reasoning behind the idea to the Americans in a way they could completely understand.

Guy Fawkes day was similar enough to the American's Independence day. While the reasoning behind the holiday was almost completely different, the way they celebrated it was similar.

Lots and lots of fireworks.

And in the case of the soldiers, beer and popcorn while they burned down the Nott family manor. The sound of roasting vampires was especially fun.

"Damn. I need to celebrate every November 5th like this," said Constantine, sipping his beer. Nymph nodded in complete agreement.

"Whoo! Burn, baby, burn!" cheered Sirius.

The Weasley twins were doing some sort of ancient war dance while they tossed random fireworks into the air.

Cas sipped his butterbeer with open amusement.

* * *

><p><em><strong>December<strong>_

"So what exactly are we doing here?" asked one of the Americans.

"The same thing he does every Christmas," said Father Rick.

"And that is?"

"Spread Christmas cheer followed by hearing him sing carols."

"Ah. And why exactly is this worth skipping out on free beer?" asked the soldier.

"Give him a minute. Once you hear him, you'll understand why most consider a little charity on Christmas worth their time," said Father Rick knowingly.

When people heard Cas sing, it had the strange effect of getting people to donate more than they usually would.

The soldier was about to ask what was so special about Cas' voice...when Cas started singing _Silent Night_. He shut up and stared.

And then Gabriel started joining in. People came from several blocks over to donate funds to the church.

"Hard to believe a kid like that isn't in some band, isn't it?" said Constantine.

"Yeah. He should totally have a record deal already with that kind of voice. Does he play any instruments?"

"I think he has a guitar, but he rarely plays it," said Constantine.

"I have a cousin who works in the record industry," offered the soldier.

"Which one?"

"I can't remember the name offhand, but it was started by this really popular country singer."

Father Rick shared a look with Constantine. Getting a record deal was actually one of the ideas Cas had to explain why he traveled so much without being attached to any one church. And he did enjoy singing.

"You could ask him later. Chances are he might be interested," said Father Rick.

* * *

><p><em><strong>January<strong>_

Cas gave Dumbledore and unamused look. Dumbledore looked at him with disapproval very clear in his eyes.

"Explain to me one more time why we allowed them onto our base?" he asked Sirius.

"Because he wouldn't shut up and wants to know what we've done with our captured Death Eaters?" said Sirius with a drawl.

Cas sighed.

"We don't keep the Death Eaters. We hand them over to be tried and judged by the appropriate people. We're not going to give them another chance to harm more people on the remote chance they might be redeemed. And there is no excuse for what some of these men have done. Your tactics were ineffective and were only getting more people killed," said Cas flatly.

"People should always be given a chance for redemption," Dumbledore reminded him. He would have thought someone as religious as Harry would understand that. After all, the bible he followed spoke volumes about it.

Cas looked him directly in the eye and told him in a kind, but firm voice "Redemption is a two-way street, something you seem to have trouble understanding. And these people don't _want_ to be redeemed. While you're trying to give these unrepentant murderers and criminals a chance to better themselves, they are running rampant over Europe without a second thought of how much pain they are inflicting. These people _enjoy_ hurting others and making themselves feel superior to those without magic or what they perceive as 'acceptable' blood. And while you claim to follow the greater good you fail to remember the bigger picture."

The very tone he used raised the hackles of some of the Order members...even if they did agree with him completely. He was treating Dumbledore like a wayward child who thought he knew best but was hurting everyone in the long run.

Cas' eyes were almost an intense blue in color as he said "You are so determined to save the pure bloods that you didn't think twice about leaving an orphan with people you knew to be unacceptable. Not once did you listen to McGonagall's concerns, or consider the fact that I would have been better off with Andromeda Tonks. It was just luck that Petunia Dursley took me to the one church in Surrey where the priest understood my gift and was able to get me in contact with someone who could train me."

"I didn't want you to be raised with as big a head as your father," said Dumbledore, "And there was the matter of the blood protections to consider."

Cas gave him an unamused look.

"You are aware that such protections require an acknowledged relation between both parties. Petunia felt nothing even remotely close to a familial bond with me, and if it were possible she would have left me at the orphanage without a second's hesitation. Fortunately we were able to work around whatever it was that you did to keep me in that house, despite the fact we wanted nothing to do with each other," said Cas.

Cas stood up.

"Let's be clear here, Albus Dumbledore. Nothing you say or do will stop me from clearing out the disease that you allowed to fester in Europe for far too long. These...people...are going to get the judgment that they have earned, even if they don't deserve a fair trial for their actions."

"And who are you to act as judge and executioner?" asked Dumbledore.

Cas let out a short bark of laughter. It wasn't very pleasant, but it was clear Dumbledore's words amused him.

"Who said we were the ones to judge them? We hand them over to the Queen and let the nobles decide their fates. It's about bloody time they were reminded that their so called 'noble blood' relies on the monarchy, not the other way around."

Dumbledore winced.

"You actually hand them over to the Queen?" said Arthur interested.

"You really think we would hold them ourselves? It's better for us to hand them over to the government to do a mass trial so we're not the ones blamed for their eventual execution. And it reminds you lot who the top dog is, since you seem to forget that the Ministry serves the Crown," said Cas flatly.

After they were done cleaning house, the Queen was going to have a talk with each and every single pure blood family and lay down the law. They would either resign the original treaty that kept the Ministry for the most part autonomous from the Crown, or they were going to find themselves looking for a new home country to live in and not a lot of money to do it.

And the more loyal families might find themselves with some actual gold and land coming their way. The Weaslys could very well move up the ladder when it came to political power.

It was about time the pure bloods got a much needed reality check.

* * *

><p><em><strong>February<strong>_

Cas wanted to run like hell and not stop. He hated February for one reason and one reason only. Valentine's Day.

Unfortunately he had promised Neville to look at his parents in the hopes they could be saved.

And to insure Cas didn't run, Gabriel was coming with him. Mostly out of boredom, but also because if there was a chance the Longbottoms could be saved he might be able to help.

And really, he should have done this months ago.

Augusta Longbottom was patiently waiting with Neville. This was really their last chance to save her son and daughter-in-law.

Gabriel took one look at them and whistled.

"Yikes. I wasn't expecting the damage to be this severe. It's like their minds were almost completely scattered," he said.

"Is it possible to save them Loki?" asked Cas.

"Yeah...but I think it would be easier to remove the trauma altogether and have them simply catch up on recent events. And you'll have to reintroduce them to their son," said Gabriel, looking at them.

Augusta's hand tightened on Neville's shoulder.

"Right, let's get to work," said Gabriel.

_A few hours later..._

Frank and Alice were knocked out for the memory removal. Because they had never received actual treatment for the trauma, it was simply easier to remove the memories and have them go to therapy for people waking from a very long coma situation. And Cas was going to make very, very sure they got treated this time.

So it wasn't any surprise to the angels that when they woke up, it was to the sight of a very relieved son and the one face they recognized. Needless to say they had no idea how to deal with the fact they had literally missed sixteen years of their son's life.

* * *

><p><em><strong>March<strong>_

"Ah...ah...AHCHOO! I HATE MARCH!"

More than one person started laughing. It was the first time they had seen the stoic and calm Cas lose his temper...and over something as simple as a common cold.

"Ah yes, the yearly March cold. I thought Loki got rid of it for you?" asked Father Rick, amusement clear in his eyes.

"The rat bastard ran off before he could insure I didn't catch it again. I was enjoying two whole years without this stupid yearly cold, and now I caught it again because of bloody English weather!"

Seeing someone like Cas lose his temper definitely endeared him more to the soldiers and Order members. It was nice to seem him act, well, normal for once.

"AHCHOO!"

That only set them off again with fresh peals of laughter.

* * *

><p><em><strong>April<strong>_

Cas was in the forest leading the more skilled killers to the small camp Riddle and what little remained of his minions had made near a large Acromantula nest. Every sniper they had who could do a night shot from an awkward angle was lined up on the roofs of the castle ready to kill any Death Eater stupid enough to leave the treeline.

Cas had the white wand he lifted from Dumbledore before he left in his hand and around his shoulders was the cloak. For some reason, it just felt right having those items on him.

Though he had a really bad feeling something irrevocable would happen if he were to claim the last Hallow...and Gabriel had confirmed that was what those two items were.

He stalked slowly through the webbed trees. This was going to be a delicate operation until they started blasting the camp and sent these idiots packing out of the forest and into fire.

Riddle and his merry band of morons had never encountered _real_ opposition before Cas came in with the Order. Dumbledore let them run all over his people in the vain hope he could 'redeem' them.

He leveled the wand in their vague direction. He only needed one shot to scare these idiots into panicking.

Or something that would scare them into running. Best not to give the 'Ministry' any reason to label him dark.

Cas dropped down from the tree branch and then released his wings. The sight of Castiel's wings in the fire light shocked Riddle and his minions long enough to hit Riddle with a holy hex he learned at the Vatican. It knocked Riddle right into the path of a waiting Acromantula.

The fools followed Cas right out of the forest...or they would have had he not tripped on a root. They still ran head first out to the open area, unaware of the trap he had set for them.

Castiel got up, annoyed beyond belief his wings had caused _him_ to trip. Castiel, an angel of the Lord, tripping over his own wings. Gabriel would never let him live it down if he even _knew_ that had happened.

Once his wing was free of the root, he looked at his surroundings. He could already hear the sound of sniper fire in the near distance, followed by bodies falling to the ground.

It was in the pale moonlight he saw the ring. He felt a compulsion to pick it up, unaware of what it actually was.

The moment his hand touched the thing, the world fell away. A bird was stopped cold mid-flight, frozen in a perfect moment of time.

_**So. Yet another wizard seeks to claim the title of my Master.**_

Castiel turned to the voice and nearly had a heart attack at the man before him. Why was _Death_ here?!

Death however paused and actually looked at Castiel. His eyes narrowed at the sight of the angel.

_**This is unacceptable. An angel cannot claim the title of Death's Master,**_ he said angrily. He knew the angels were arrogant, but there was no excuse for this!

Castiel flinched, and his blue eyes went back to green as Cas took over. Death went from furious to curious. The wings on the angel's back were completely gone and the only thing he could sense was a human mage. He held up his hand and noticed the 'human' looked very much like he wanted to run and never look back. He was properly terrified.

_**What in blazes? You're an angel that reads as a human? How did you accomplish **_**that?**

Cas remained silent. Death calmly placed a hand on the teen's head and his confusion only grew.

_**Your memories have almost been completely erased, or at the very least buried so deep it would be nearly impossible to retrieve them normally. And yet you not only got the permission from the child's mother soon after it died, but managed to assimilate his magical core. I've never encountered the like. And in this state you'll never be allowed to reenter heaven. At least not until the vessel dies.**_

Cas whimpered. He didn't want to return to heaven. Not when he knew that the second they learned what happened he would be forced into the angel's idea of "reeducation".

Death looked at the terrified angel/mage. Really, he should kill this idiot now for possessing the Hallows. The last thing he needed was some jumped up feather brain as his 'Master'. However...from the look at the angel's memories he'd had no idea what he actually was until Gabriel accidentally unleashed his wings.

He could kill the angel...or he could make the best of an unusual situation and see how it went. He was curious as to how this would affect the coming Apocalypse, especially since the vessel before him had already established a connection with the Winchesters under somewhat positive circumstances.

Besides, he was bored.

_**I might forgive this little transgression, angel...but only if you agree to it.**_

Cas looked up. Here was his one shot at getting out of this mess alive!

_**I have need of someone who can work in the mortal world without drawing attention. See my reapers can't do everything and the last thing I want to deal with a new Master who thinks he can order me around so soon after these were completed. Especially in Europe. So here are your only options. You can either work for me when I tell you to, or I forcibly return your memories and send you straight to heaven to deal with your superiors.**_

Castiel winced. He was not returning to heaven. Not with the threat of Naomi hanging over his head.

"If I worked for you, then do I at least get to say which assignments I have to take? Because if I have to leave Constantine alone to fight, then I would rather take my chances with heaven," said Castiel.

Death looked amused.

_**So you would willingly befriend someone as lost as John Constantine? A man most of heaven has given up for damned?**_ Death asked.

"I consider Constantine my older brother in all but blood, and I'd rather Fall than let him continue his fight without me to help back him up," said Castiel with conviction. He genuinely trusted John, which was more than he could say for his 'brothers' and 'sisters' in heaven.

Death smirked. It wasn't a nice one and it would scare the hell out of any normal human who saw it. But Castiel genuinely amused Death at this moment.

_**If I granted you this power, then how would you use it?**_

"Not at all unless the situation absolutely required it. The last thing I want to deal with is sending a flare to heaven stating my general location," was Castiel's immediate answer.

Death's smirk widened greatly.

_**Good answer.**_**_And to answer your last question, I do allow my reapers to pick their assignment within reason. So I don't see why I couldn't do the same with you._**

Castiel could only feel relief.

Death's hand took on an inhuman chill. It was like being near a dementor.

_**So Castiel, what is your choice?**_

"If the choice is helping Death or risking reeducation, then I chose to help you," said Castiel flatly, "Besides, I don't think Gabriel would like it much if I chose heaven over him."

_**You have real loyalty. Good. Do be sure to give me a two weeks notice if you decide you would rather deal with heaven than work for me.**_

Castiel did his very best not to flinch and for the most part succeeded. He could feel Death's power embrace his magical core, changing it. Amplifying his natural powers. He could also feel a change in his wings.

He had thought growing a second set was uncomfortable. Growing those out in a matter of seconds and then feeling a _third_ pair show up was worse. He also felt a strange armor melt over his skin, creating a shield around him. His sword, which he had almost all but forgotten about, was also changed.

If Castiel saw himself in the mirror at that moment, he would think himself a fallen angel with how much black was in his new outfit.

He was absolutely getting a haircut though. He wasn't a big fan of needing hair ties.

_**Your first assignment...is to rid me of that pest Riddle. He has outlived my patience.**_

"**With pleasure,"**said Castiel. His voice had a deeper rumble than before.

* * *

><p><em>One week later...<em>

Gabriel took one look at Castiel, who was sleeping on the couch, and then at Constantine who had provided the distraction for the teenaged angel to leave Europe before the idiots in the Ministry were able to hound him for completing the Hallows.

"Okay, what in Dad's name happened when I went to teach that corrupt priest a lesson, and why does _he_ feel like an arch angel?" asked Gabriel confused.

Chas gave a sigh of relief.

"Oh good, it's not just me. I thought I was imagining things," said Chas.

"Wait, he's an arch angel now? I thought his wings finally grew out," said Constantine. Nymph also nodded in agreement from where she was looking at bridal magazines.

"No way. I can feel an extra pair of wings on him, and his wings were almost fully grown in before I left. Who wants to explain?" asked Gabriel tapping his foot.

"Shut up Gabriel, I'm trying to sleep," yawned Cas.

"Oh no. You're going to tell me what happened while I was gone or I'll keep bugging you until you do," said Gabriel.

Castiel glared at him.

"Long story short, I completed the Hallows by accident, Death showed up and got pissed when he realized I was an angel, and gave me a choice. Either act as his hand when his reapers couldn't, or get my memories forcibly returned and sent back to heaven to face the music. Considering he would allow me to pick which assignments I got, I chose the first option."

Gabriel stared.

"Can I go back to sleep now?" asked Castiel petulantly.

"Okay, I'm not drunk enough to deal with this. Anyone interested in joining me?" asked Gabriel finally.

Everyone but the snoring Cas raised their hands.


	9. Confrontations and training

_**From here on out the chapters will be like my normal ones. I just wanted to get through his magical schooling in one year increments first. Also, I will delve more into Castiel's assignments as Death new angel. Hope you like the new cover art! Merry Christmas!  
><strong>_

"I hate you so much. What the hell was that stuff?" asked John.

"Asgardian mead."

"A bit too sweet for me, but man what a kick!" said Chas. Out of the three of them, only the half-demon was able to drink a full glass.

The two regular humans were so hung over it wasn't even funny.

"Cas, I swear to heaven if you even think of mocking our pain I will make your first hangover the worst you will ever have," warned John.

"Actually I was going to ask Gabriel if a hangover remedy would work."

"Might dull the worst of it, but they'll still be sick for the next two days," said Gabriel after thinking about it.

"Hand it over," groaned Nymph. Cas handed over two vials.

The two regular humans downed it and gave relieved sighs when the worst of the pain went away.

"Now, what was this I heard about a wedding?" asked Gabriel.

John winced and Nymph beamed.

"These two lovebirds are_ finally_ going to tie the knot," said Chas.

"Which means we get to mock them endlessly about young love, because five minutes of that and I'm ready to gouge my eyes out," said Cas flatly. Chas nodded in agreement. It was hilarious to watch...for about sixty seconds. Then it just got annoying.

At this point they were glad John wasn't one of those idiots who went on and on about his girl in a sappy voice. They would have to strangle him if he were.

"So where are they having it?"

"No idea. At this point I've learned one thing...hunting demons is more enjoyable than wedding planning. Which is why I'm letting _her_ do all of it so she can have what she wants," said John.

"Smart man," said Gabriel snickering.

"Sirius thinks so to. He said he'll pay for the wedding, but I'll need an expert opinion on the tux since I'm absolutely terrified she'll put me in pink just because she can," said John.

Nymph beamed at him, but Gabriel noticed she never denied that claim. He snickered even more.

"Tell ya what. Since I've been married, twice, I'll help plan for the bachelor party and make sure you're in something appropriately manly," said Gabriel.

Constantine had an openly relieved look on his face.

"I would say spoilsport, but I want to put those illusions of yours to good use," said Nymph.

Gabriel chuckled.

"My lady, my tricks are yours to command. As are any suggestions towards pranking victims," said Gabriel.

"In the meantime I have to figure out a way to get to the palace without those damn idiots seeing me. This is going to suck," said Cas with a whine.

"Sir Shields," snickered John.

"Don't forget John, she wanted you too," said Cas evilly. John grimaced.

"Oh-ho, Sir John Constantine? Guess I'll have to make that tux extra nice!" cackled Gabriel.

Chas snorted.

* * *

><p>Gabriel and Castiel were on an immortal plain where the flare of Grace wouldn't be immediately felt. Gabriel wanted to see his new wings and the armor, so he brought his little brother to the plain he used whenever he wanted to fly without attracting attention.<p>

Castiel sighed and then used the phrase he came up with to unbind his wings. After one too many times smacking himself in the face with his two extra sets, Castiel followed the example of Chas, who's real name was the half-demon Ettrigan. He bound his excess power to continue appearing human.

"_Cast away the mortal veil, and rise the angel Castiel_," he muttered.

"Cute."

"I got tired of my new wings smacking me in the face. Chas suggested binding them with an easy to remember rhyme so I could sleep without having to deal with them and help hide the new power from the other angels."

Gabriel snickered.

"You get used to three wings. Well this _is_ interesting. You said Death gave you an extra boost?"

"He seems to have given me the third set and then some armor. I think the sword upgrade was just an afterthought," said Castiel.

Castiel had spent his entire life up until this point a simple soldier. After a single long-term assignment on Earth without his memories and he was suddenly an arch angel. It took quite a bit of getting used to, especially when he knew the second he returned home, Zachariah or worse, Naomi and her cronies, would slate him for reeducation on his 'place' in heaven.

He had no desire to be a mindless drone.

"Well in any case, we might as well spend some time here teaching you how to use the upgrade...not to mention fly," said Gabriel.

Castiel gave him an irritated look, but Gabriel chuckled.

"See that tree about fifty feet from here? Try flying to it using the amount you normally do to fly," suggested Gabriel.

Castiel did...and ended up on the other side of the plain, more than a thousand miles from where he was supposed to be. He frowned, then tried again. He landed flat on his face to the amusement of Gabriel.

"Any other questions?" he asked smirking.

Castiel cursed him out. Gabriel cackled.

It took Castiel a full month to get the hang of his new abilities, and three whole days before he could reasonably fly without overshooting his mark or landing on his face. Gabriel was endlessly amused teaching Castiel how to use his new powers, and more importantly seeing Castiel crash on his face while relearning how to fly. A pity John couldn't be there to watch that spectacle. It was absolutely hilarious to watch the normally calm Castiel curse worse than Constantine did after a bad case whenever he crashed.

Gabriel still got the giggles when he remembered the many, many crash landings.

* * *

><p>Chuck Shurley didn't know how to react to his sudden increase in popularity. He had mostly helped his friend make the <em>Shield of God<em> series as a joke. Sure, he helped collaborate the thing like details on how angels would act or doing most of the research, but he never thought it would be this popular.

So when he ran into a fan who looked _exactly_ how he and Beth described Castiel (or Cas Shields in human form) he naturally thought the guy was the most dedicated fan of the series he had ever met.

"Um... hello?"

The guy's green eyes were very intense...and extremely annoyed.

"Are you Chuck?" he asked.

"Yeah. Are you a fan of the series?"

"Actually I was just curious which of you actually sees this angel or his exploits, because last I checked, Prophets could only focus on notable _humans_," said the fan.

Chuck gulped.

"Excuse me?" he asked, mouth suddenly dry.

"Don't play dumb. You have visions of others, massive blinding headaches followed by the Sight, but have no idea why," he said flatly.

He could feel his knees about to buckle. No one knew about the visions. No one, except Beth and she wouldn't tell a soul because she had similar ones herself.

The fan sighed.

"Would you like to get some coffee? I can explain what's really going on and what those visions are."

"Only if you have alcohol to go with it," said Chuck. He could just tell it was going to be one of _those_ conversations.

"I'm sure Loki wouldn't mind me parting him of a small jug of mead," shrugged the fan.

Chuck would later return to his house in absolute shock.

He was a Prophet. _The_ Prophet of God. The visions he had were very real and unfortunately a permanent thing. And he couldn't hand it off to the next poor bastard without dying first. Guarded by at least _one_ higher angel at all times. About the only good thing was that at least now he knew he wasn't actually crazy...just really unlucky.

Cas Shields was a good sport about the fact Beth could See him and he didn't mind the comic books. Instead he gave Chuck a card so that at least his information would be accurate and the suggestion that he add some of the lesser known angels to the books to get their names out too.

After all, the more prayers the angel got, the more Grace they could pull in. It was why Micheal, Gabriel and Lucifer were so powerful. And thanks to the comics, why Castiel had suddenly started rising in the ranks without warning.

Finding out your visions were very, very real was a bit of a shock for poor Chuck. Fortunately he would have proof that Cas really existed in the morning...in the form of a lesser medal that originated from the Order.

A medal that was going to be gaining popularity very quickly if Chuck had anything to say about it.

The medal of St. Castiel, the patron Saint of Protectors and Defenders. Basically the guardian saint of people like cops, hunters and anyone who protected the innocent.

By the next issue, there was a full picture of the medal (both sides) and a small notation for kids to get their hands on one.

And thanks to the popularity of the series, the Vatican saw a sudden increase in making them. And Castiel saw an increase in prayers for help among the abused children.

He didn't know whether to strangle Chuck or thank him. He settled on sending Sirius to prank him for a week. The angels couldn't exactly kill a man who was just pranking the Prophet. Attacking him, or sending a demon his way, yes. But pranks?

Gabriel wasn't the only one laughing when he heard Castiel's retaliation for the extra work.

* * *

><p>Up in heaven, there was some confusion. Not about Castiel's vacation request, but about the massive decrease in prayers to Micheal that were suddenly diverted to the lesser angels like Hanael, Cassiel, and Adriel. (Glory of God, Speed of God, and Flock of God respectively.)<p>

Names that had gone silent for centuries were now in active use. The lower angels couldn't believe that they were being prayed to again. So several of them went to find out why.

Micheal allowed it because he wanted to know why he was suddenly losing the faithful.

It was going to be an interesting conversation when they returned, to say the least.

* * *

><p>Castiel looked up when he sensed the angel. Cassiel was the first to find him.<p>

"Castiel," said his brother.

"Cassiel. I can only assume you're wondering why the number of prayers your way suddenly went up?" asked Castiel.

"Among others," said Cassiel, sitting down.

Castiel slid one of the comics to his brother.

"What is this?"

"It would seem the Prophet's Seer friend has fixated on me. I ran into him by accident and set a few things straight. He was most unhappy to learn his blinding headaches and reoccurring visions were real."

Cassiel blinked.

"Rapheal never said he saw you with the Prophet," said Cassiel.

Castiel snorted.

"Considering how often the others even _noticed_ me in heaven, I'm not surprised he didn't even realize I was there. I find that at least on Earth, the humans will try to listen to me. In heaven I'm all but ignored so long as I blindly follow the orders."

Cassiel shifted uncomfortably. Castiel was different, and not in a way that he liked.

"Why have you not returned home brother? Zachariah is waiting for your report."

"He'll have to wait a long time then. I'm not going back, not when I know for a fact he might send Naomi my way to remind me of my _ 'place'_. Besides, there is one who needs me down here more than Zachariah needs to yell at me."

Cassiel's eyes widened.

"Brother, please don't tell me you..."

"Cassiel, turn around."

It wasn't a request. Reluctantly, he turned to find a grinning man with golden eyes. But it wasn't his earthly features Cassiel saw. It was the six beautiful golden wings.

"_Gabriel_," whispered the awe-struck and shocked Cassiel.

"When you go back, tell them Castiel is _mine_ now. I'm not letting Micheal's little sycophants have him, and if I find that bitch Naomi anywhere near him then heaven will be short a few seraphs. I don't like Micheal's idea of reminding the other angels of their place, and I especially don't like her methods," said Gabriel flatly.

Cassiel felt his mouth go dry. If Castiel had found Gabriel and had joined forces, then realistically he had no reason to return. He was one of Gabriel's garrison now. As long as Gabriel remained on Earth, Castiel didn't have to return.

"Cassiel, tell the others that when I found the Prophet, I told him to look up the names that have fallen out of use. Micheal quit listening a long time ago and using this medium to get their names out was a simple way to bring faith back into them again."

"Castiel just wanted to share his strange luck with his siblings in a way Micheal won't punish him for, since he quit caring about the humans."

Cassiel nodded. He just knew this was going to be an uncomfortable report to the arch angel.

* * *

><p>"He <em>what<em>?!"

Cassiel flinched. Micheal was furious about something.

"Castiel has found Gabriel, who has claimed him. Gabriel is more interested in protecting humans directly than coming home, and when a Seer focused on Castiel's human identity, he decided to direct some of the prayers that you ignore to the angels who were forgotten. Castiel has no intention of coming home if Naomi is waiting to remind him of his station," repeated Cassiel.

Micheal was pissed.

"And how, exactly, did Castiel find Gabriel when we have been looking for his Grace for centuries?" asked Micheal.

"Gabriel befriended John Constantine, who introduced him to Castiel before he knew what Castiel was."

If Micheal was angry before, he was livid now. Constantine was almost hated with a passion by most of heaven because of his flippant attitude. If it weren't for the fact he did more good than harm, he would have been killed _years_ ago. So the fact he befriended Gabriel when they had been searching for him for centuries made Micheal's grace boil.

"Let me get this straight. Castiel went down on a simple assignment to kill a warlock, and not only finds Gabriel when none of us could and has befriended _Constantine_ of all humans?!"

Cassiel nodded.

"He's also the reason why the lower angels are active again, and why the number of prayers I've had to deal with from the faithful no longer reach me?"

Again, Cassiel nodded.

"It would seem Naomi is going to have some work ahead of her," snarled Micheal. He could ignore the fact Gabriel claimed Castiel the moment he found him, but joining forces with Constantine could only mean Castiel would develop several bad habits Micheal did not want back in heaven.

Cassiel winced.

"Gabriel wanted me to tell you that if he sees Naomi or any of hers on earth he would kill them on sight. He does not like her at all," Cassiel said. At least he could say he passed the warning.

"Gabriel does not lead the host. I do," snarled Micheal, "I could care less if he likes Naomi."

Cassiel could tell he was being dismissed. Normally he would return to his section of heaven where he stayed...but this time he went back to Earth.

He honestly liked Castiel, at least enough to warn him Micheal was on the warpath and planned to send Naomi his way.

* * *

><p>Castiel winced when Cassiel passed the message along. He was terrified of Naomi. Any angel with a lick of sense was.<p>

Gabriel hugged his little brother tightly, angry Micheal didn't take his warning serious. He wasn't going to let Castiel become a mindless drone after he finally loosened up from that boring angel Gabriel remembered he was before.

For a few weeks, nothing happened. Of course this was because Castiel had developed a preference to the indirect way of filling any prayers for help his way.

The more people thought 'divine intervention' rather than 'angel attention', the easier it was for them to deal with. Castiel knew first hand that experiencing some random event of good fortune was easier to accept divine assistance. However there were far too many skeptics for them to automatically accept an angel's hand. So to keep from having a constant headache, Cas generally tended to do things in an indirect manner.

Maybe in a few centuries humanity would accept heaven and angels as easily as hunters accepted demons were in fact real, but for now working in the shadows was perfectly acceptable.

A piece of advice Castiel was more than happy to share with his fellow angels who were getting more work again thanks to his efforts. A few test runs and they agreed it was easier and more efficient.

Besides, working indirectly also had the happy side effect of lessening the need to have a vessel most of the time.

However eventually Castiel was forced to draw upon his Grace to smite a large nest of demons. And Naomi was all but waiting for him to release his wings.

The moment the last demon was dead, she appeared.

"Mmm...someone's been very bad lately," she purred sadistically. The second Castiel felt her grace he nearly bolted. However he could see it was pointless, considering she had him pinned.

So he went for his second choice.

_GABRIEL!_

He sent out a flare of grace coupled with his panicked shout for help. Gabriel sent him a message back...as well a reminder that Castiel could hold his own long enough for Gabriel to get there.

Naomi circled him like a shark, her grace jabbing at his own like a knife wound. Castiel winced, as he could feel her sense his new upgrade that he kept sealed. She frowned.

"What's this? The little angel thinks he can hide something from me?" she said in confused amusement. When she sensed the second pair of wings, she snarled.

"You dare rise above your station? You?"

Castiel had enough. He wasn't going to let her drag him back without a fight, and certainly not when he could still do good on Earth. Gabriel had told him while he was showing Castiel all the new powers he had unlocked that while Death might have accelerated the growth of his third pair of wings, it was their Father who _allowed_ Castiel to rise to a new station. Clearly God not only felt Castiel was doing something right, but he approved of it.

Castiel locked eyes with an increasingly angry Naomi and said the spell to undo the seal on his full power.

"_Cast aside the mortal veil, and rise the angel Castiel," _he said clearly and with conviction.


	10. Repercussions

Heaven was in chaos. One moment they were all anxiously awaiting word of Castiel's fate (he had gotten a lot of support from the lower angels because he had reminded the humans of their existence), the next, an explosion of Grace as powerful as Raphael shot through heaven.

What had the angels in shock was that the signature belonged to Castiel, not Gabriel.

Micheal was _furious_...and confused.

Soon after the Grace hit heaven, the angels could sense those sent down with Naomi dropping like flies. And then Gabriel's grace was felt, and Naomi herself was killed.

Silence reigned...before Gabriel sent a message along the heavenly air waves for Micheal that every angel heard.

_I warned you brother. I will not allow you to brainwash Castiel just because you and the rest of heaven have lost sight of the last orders our Father gave to us before he had enough. Castiel was just the first to figure out something He tried to tell us years ago when he first created humans. You just didn't listen. If I find any others down here to try and force him back, then I will retaliate in kind_.

The silence after that was deafening. Then Joshua, the only angel still in contact with God approached Micheal.

Micheal looked at the gardener hoping he could explain what was going on.

"Castiel was given new duties on earth, but he couldn't tell you. And by the time he could, he knew you would never listen."

"What new duties?"

Joshua smiled.

"I believe Castiel's description of your attitude towards humanity was extremely appropriate. He said that humanity was like the new child in the house, and you were the older brother who was so focused on keeping the home running that he never had time to actually pay attention to the youngest. So when you gave him that assignment to kill Riddle, he decided that since you won't pay them attention, he would. He has spent several years on earth doing small acts of kindness and bringing those who have lost faith back home. People like John Constantine, who have no faith that God is even listening."

Micheal looked so lost at that moment.

"Castiel realized that if humanity was ever to grow, it would need small nudges in the right direction. He also knew you were so focused on keeping heaven on the 'right' path, that you wouldn't have time for the smallest prayers in your name. So he sent those asking for guidance to those he knew would answer. God feels that his actions were deserving of a reward, so He raised him."

"But why? Why someone as insignificant as Castiel? Why would our Father..."

Joshua put his hand on Micheal's shoulder.

"He left because He wanted us to exercise our right to make our own decisions. Free will was the right given to _all_ creatures, but angels seem to forget that fact. Castiel was just the first to exercise that right publicly," said Joshua.

Well, exercise it and survive at any rate.

* * *

><p>John returned from a headache inducing case to find Cas snuggling up against Gabriel, who was crooning at his little brother in Enochian. He knew something had happened, because Castiel was usually the one dealing with the cuddle hound Gabriel, not the other way around.<p>

"What happened?" he asked.

"Micheal sent Naomi after Castiel, and we had to kill our brothers and sisters who had no choice in the matter," explained Gabriel flatly.

"Naomi, as in the one he was so terrified of...?"

Gabriel nodded. John winced, before he moved to hug Cas like he had after a few bad cases the boy had gone on with him. Cas curled up against John and Gabriel looked at him approvingly. Here was yet another sign that John Constantine wasn't as "lost" as their brothers claimed.

Cas slept for three days before he was able to function normally again, but it was clear the encounter still haunted him.

* * *

><p>Castiel's first interaction with heaven after the attack by Naomi came in the form of Cassiel.<p>

The angel winced when he saw his brother, but he still hugged him.

"How bad?" asked Castiel.

"I don't understand."

"How badly did Micheal take it?" asked Castiel quietly.

Cassiel had a strange expression on his face.

"He has ordered the higher choirs not to hunt you down...but he has also said that if any of the lower ones that normally don't have much to do wish to seek you out they will not be punished. I think the gardener had a word with him after Gabriel's message, because he's been unusually pensive of late. I think he wishes to see how this will go before he decides what to do with you," said Cassiel...before he dropped a new bomb on Castiel "He has also said that until this runs it's course, he doesn't want to see you in heaven."

Castiel sat down hard. He knew Micheal would be angry, but this?

"He has declared me fallen?"

"Actually, no. He just doesn't want you in heaven for a long while, at least until he's had time to cool down. In return he's ordered Zachariah and the others to leave you alone," clarified Cassiel.

Okay, that wasn't good, but it was better than it could have been. Micheal could have easily declared him as Fallen and opened the gates for the other angels to try and hunt him down every time he acted as an angel on earth.

At this point he would take what he could get.

"And Gabriel?"

"Gabriel is something of a forbidden subject with Micheal at the moment. He's still furious with him," Cassiel informed him.

Even mentioning Gabriel around Micheal was a sure fire way to piss him off now.

Castiel snorted.

"That's sure to amuse him."

An awkward silence descended...until Cassiel asked "How do you deal with the human authorities?"

Castiel tried very hard not to laugh.

"Let me guess. You and the others have been acting directly with your vessels, but because the humans have enough trouble believing in heaven you keep getting stuck in places for those who have lost their minds or told you have no authority," said Castiel.

"It is most irritating."

"First, I've found working indirectly and in an explainable manner works better. The law enforcement are less likely to lock you up or question your presence if say, one of the wires on a stop light just _happened_ to fall on a car and revealed abuse than if you were to appear and get directly involved. Second, they are more likely to listen to what you have to say if you happen to be in a similar position as they are."

Cassiel looked confused when Castiel brought out a strange shield of sorts.

"This is called a 'badge' by humans. This signifies to them that I work for a group with enough authority among humans to get involved. Because the 'badge' is identified with a collective group, in this case the Vatican, the police are more inclined to listen to what I am telling them without dismissing my claims. Having this makes things go much easier with the human law enforcement."

"Where can we acquire these...badges?" asked Cassiel. If Castiel was telling the truth, then it would make their job a lot easier.

Castiel grinned.

"Tell the others if they want to quit being called 'delusional' or 'insane' by the humans to head to Vatican City and ask for the Order of the Holy Shield. Once they hear who you are and why you're there, they can give you the mortal authority to work around the law enforcement without them being offended. The Order was one I started the last time I was on Earth, and it's the only one that angels can easily interact alongside without having to deal with the humans following our orders blindly."

Cassiel blinked.

"You started a group among the faithful? Why?"

"Do you have any idea how irritating it is for an angel to gather faithful who will believe your claim of being from heaven? It was easier to just make a group of them and give them a simple set of orders they could follow. Because they were willing to work with other religions without getting into a messy debate over which one was better, they were able to survive until I came back. And I was able to breath new life into it enough that our insignia holds weight among the humans again."

Cassiel could relate. It was hard enough getting _out_ of custody when he interfered directly, let alone getting them to believe. More than once he gave it up as a bad job and just flew out. It wasn't like humans would know how to hold an angel.

* * *

><p>Cas was heading to New Orleans. It was partially to get far, far away from Europe, but also because Papa Midnight was having trouble and he was currently angry at Constantine for something. Cas suspected it was because Nymphadora was the one to invite him to the wedding and not John.<p>

Papa Midnight was one of John's frienemies. People who would work with him, but were often annoyed enough with Constantine to shoot him on sight before hearing what he had to say. Or in the case of Midnight, dose him with something and then lock him in a trunk before he agreed to help.

Midnight actually liked Cas because while he was devoutly Catholic, he also respected the Loa a hell of a lot more than John ever did.

"I suppose I have you to thank for the increase of Bright Ones on earth," said Papa Midnight, testing the sharpness of a blade.

"More along the lines of them finally having a reason to come down again," said Cas calmly, though he winced.

"I've been hearing along the spirits that the Bright One by the name of Castiel stirred up quite a fuss in heaven. So much so that they've started leaving it for the first time in centuries."

Cas had a bad feeling.

Papa Midnight turned to him.

"I never thought a Bright One would befriend someone as arrogant as John Constantine."

Cas winced.

"How long have you known?"

"Ever since Loki all but adopted you when you were sixteen. Once you remembered, your light started shining too brightly to ignore. I am impressed you've found a way to hide it though," said Midnight smirking.

"So what exactly did you need my help for?"

"There is a man who has stolen something. Something rather precious to me. He has hidden himself from the Loa and my men, and I want it's return."

"What exactly is the value of this item?"

"Sentimental. The item itself would have little to no monetary value, and those that might buy it would know better than to pay for it without alerting me to the men who took it first."

Cas put together the pieces.

"It's related to your beliefs, enough so that people associate it with you and has been used before. And the fact it wouldn't be worth conventional money means that it's something that has the potential to be powerful, but only when used correctly," he guessed. Cas looked at Midnight.

"You'll recognize it without me telling you what it is," Midnight promised him, "For now I know that it has not left the city."

"Right. Where were these idiots last seen, and where can I contact you if I lose cell service?" asked Cas finally.

Midnight's smile would not inspire confidence. It was very clear Cas was going to leave the fate of the thieves to him, rather than the normal authorities.

Cas was of the firm opinion that anyone stupid enough to steal from Midnight that was valuable enough for him to call in outside help deserved to deal with the consequences from the man they stole from. What happened after was not his problem.

* * *

><p>It took Cas two weeks and endless headaches before he found the thieves. One look at what they stole, and he lost any sympathy he might have had for them. They deserved whatever punishment Midnight dealt.<p>

"You morons were stupid enough to steal the skull of his _sister_?" said Cas in disbelief.

The three teenagers, barely in their twenties, glared at him from their bindings. Cas undid the one around their mouth.

"Alright spill. What the hell possessed you three idiots to go after Papa Midnight? Word to the wise, first to talk will give me more incentive to argue for leniency."

"We were paid. Some guy promised us a million each to steal that skull," said the oldest with a sneer.

"Uh-huh. This 'guy' have a name?"

"No names, but he did sound funny. And he looked like a lawyer," said the oldest.

"Funny how?"

"He had an accent. Kinda like yours, only more cockney. And there was this weird chuffing noise...like dogs or something. Never saw any but I could hear 'em."

Cas pinched the bridge of his nose. He had an idea of who was really behind this, but he wanted confirmation first. He reached into his bag for a book on known demons. Flipping through a few pages, he found one of a fairly high-up demon, but not one that went out of his way to be a nuisance.

"This him?" he asked.

"That's him."

Cas took out his phone and called Midnight.

"I got the thieves, but it looks like they were hired by Crowley. Any idea why he would want her skull? Yeah, I don't get it either. I got the three of them here, but the only one who looks like they have any sense is the oldest. Might make a good minion to work off the debt. Well if he gives you any trouble then tell him that I'll come back and do worse than just the damage I caused catching his ass. Yes I can give you details," said Cas absentmindedly.

Cas had been irritated enough trying to find these idiots that when he did catch up with them, he used his true voice to cuss them out. Because they were regular humans, he caused their ears to bleed and anything glass to shatter.

One look at his pissed off face was enough for them to back off before he really got serious. Of course he might have broken more than one bone when he discovered _what_ they had stolen.

He might not approve of the practice of using the dead in rituals, but he acknowledged that they were part of Midnight's beliefs so he kept his silence on the matter.

Cas delivered the idiots to Midnight, and would later learn the smart one was allowed to keep his body _mostly_ intact and act as hired muscle. The other two were used as examples.

Now he just had to find out what Crowley wanted with the skull of Midnight's sister.

* * *

><p>Crowley cursed when he found out the fate of the trio he hired to steal from the witch doctor. He had high hopes to use the skull as leverage to get something Midnight had in his possession he was reluctant to part with. Only the blasted priest had protections that told him when the skull left the city, protections too strong for him to hide effectively.<p>

And then the priest hired an _angel_. How he found one of that ilk and got on it's good side he would never know.

Crowley reached for his scotch, unaware of someone walking up behind him until he heard the words "Evenin' hellspawn" in a far too chipper British accent right as someone slammed an iron baseball bat on his head.

He woke up in a devil's trap in front of a grinning priest with the crest of a holy Order that had recently become _very_ active of late.

"What's a priest want with me?" he sneered.

"Me? Nothing. But a friend of mine wanted to know what plans you had for a certain item you hired three idiots to steal. Well that and I promised him pictures of you wetting yourself when you realized that someone like me slipped right through your little warding scheme. Impressive work on that, by the way," he added.

Crowley processed those words before he paled rather impressively.

There was only _one_ set of warding on his house that he had always been absolutely sure would never fail, since the rest was faulty. They had to be, considering his work. And combined with the fact he knew an angel captured the thieves...

"Who are you?"

The twenty-something year old grinned. It reminded him of a cat.

"Me? I'm Castiel, and you've pissed off the wrong witch doctor. Now why did you hire them to steal the skull?"

"Leverage. Plain and simple. Midnight has an item I want, but he wouldn't hand it over. Too useful. So I figured what better way to get it than hold that precious skull of his hostage?" said Crowley. He was screwed and he knew it. But at least with Castiel he had some hope of getting out of this intact.

What little he heard of the new arch angel (and boy, had Lucifer been pissed when he felt that even in his cage) could only mean if he humored him then the angel might be inclined to let him live.

Castiel looked behind him. Midnight had been in the room the entire time, but he was in the dark so Crowley couldn't see him.

"You steal from me again, Crowley, and I might not be so pleasant. Tell the dirty English bastard he's getting a new toy out of this," said Midnight. Castiel snorted.

"You do realize my vessel is English as well?"

"Collateral insult," came Midnight's reply. He was insulting Constantine, Crowley and Cas all in one breath.

If Crowley wanted the item so damn badly he would steal from Midnight, then the man would give it to John and see how the demon enjoyed dealing with him.


End file.
